The Secret of Alph
by Gema J. Gall
Summary: FINISHEDSomeone is out to collect the legendaries without any thought but personal gain. Tasha is a normal girl who fate has given a cruel task.
1. The Hunt Begins

Pokemon Fan Fiction  
  
The Secret of Alph  
  
By: Gema J. Gall  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.....  
  
A man clicked off the TV with the remote before rising out of his big  
leather chair. The TV froze on the tape's last images; Articuno,  
Zapdos, and Moltres flying over Shimute Island. The tape was a  
recording of the news that had covered that global incident. The  
incident had nearly meant a global flood and had caused all pokemon to  
migrate to that island, if they could. Only a boy from nowhere had  
stopped calamity from happening. But the man wasn't interested in  
that. He had religiously watched that tape, studying the legendary  
birds.  
  
After much consideration and careful planning the man felt ready to  
carry out his plans. He ran his fingers through his thinning green  
hair, then cracked his knuckles. The plan had to work. He walked  
through his large mansion. He was alone there, no one ever bothered  
him.  
  
He took a detour to walk through his private zoo. He passed the glass  
enclosure containing a Porygon2. The creature retreated into the  
shadows as he approached. The man smiled. Across from the Porygon2 a  
Farfetch'd was sleeping in its cage.  
  
"Such wonderful creatures. Such rare treasures," thought the man,  
"But I want more. Only the rarest will complete my collection. And I  
intended to get the rarest." He exited his zoo and went into the  
library.  
  
The walls of the library were lined with ancient pictures of pokemon  
that most believed to exist in fairy tales; Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres,  
Celebi, Suicune, Ho-Oh, even Mew as well as many others.  
  
"They said you did not exist," the man said to the pictures, "But we  
now know that you do. The legendary birds and even Entei have been  
filmed within the last year. It won't be hard to find where the rest  
of you are hiding. And then you will be mine." He grinned.  
"Computer; analysis on the strategies to capture the legendary birds."  
  
"Analyzing," a computer voice said, "These pokemon can escape easily  
because they can fly. They know the islands and haven't been sighted  
since. They are incredibly powerful. Recommended that you find them  
when they sleep, or find a way to ground them. Strike fast before  
they can react."  
  
"Sounds good," said the man who was in deep thought, "I might just  
pull this off." He walked out of the room.  
  
The next day he was on his private boat, heading to the Orange League.  
The boat was armed with electric, fire, and hydro weapons. It also  
contained the man's helicopter. There was space in the cargo hold to  
hide something big. He peered in a scope and spotted Fire Island.  
  
"First stop," the man. He put the boat on automatic and went below  
deck to get his supplies. He emerged with two large blue cloth bags.  
He slipped the boat into a secluded bay and stepped ashore.  
  
He examined the area. He finally decided on a bare place on the  
beach. He opened one bag and pulled out a thick mess of metallic  
netting. This he laid on the ground before reaching farther into the  
bag. He pulled out a two foot metal box.  
  
"Now to set the trap," he muttered. He buried the net, after  
connecting it to the metal box. Then he surveyed the area. Nothing  
appeared to be out of place.  
  
"Now all that is left is to find my prize," he said to himself, "But  
why go to it when it can come to me." He walked about fifty feet from  
the net and opened the second bag. After fastening the various pieces  
together it looked like a distorted bazooka. He hefted it on his  
shoulders and aimed in the air. BOOM! The weapon fires and a large  
stream of ice particles burst out. Several caught the sun to make a  
dazzling rainbow, but in the tropical heat it quickly melted. BOOM!  
The man fired the weapon again.  
  
"With any luck Moltres will appear to defend its territory," thought  
the man greedily scanning the skies. It was silent.  
  
"SSKKKKKRRRREEEEE!" the man heard. A second later he saw the  
legendary bird of fire swooping towards him.  
  
"Yes!" he exclaimed and fired the weapon again. BOOM! Moltres easily  
dodged the attack, but its own attack was thrown off. Moltres circled  
and came in again.  
  
FOOOSH! Flames completely engulfed a nearby bush. The man dove to  
the ground, and was barely singed. He struggled to his feet as  
Moltres' shadow covered him. He instinctively dodged the Fire Spin  
that had been launched at him. It blackened the sands of the beach.  
BOOM! He fired again, but Moltres easily evaded this attack.  
Moltres flapped its wings, sending Embers raining to the ground. It  
gained altitude and prepared for a Sky Attack. The man raised the  
weapon and fired. BOOM! A misty haze  
clung to the branches of a tree, but Moltres was too high.  
  
"TTTEEEAARRR!" cried Moltres as it came in for a Sky Attack. The man  
dove for the protection of the trees as Moltres dove, its wicked  
talons outstretched. The trees stopped the Sky Attack for being  
successful, but Moltres followed it with a Flame Thrower. The bay,  
brush, and even the collector were illuminated with the infrared heat  
that was produced. Moltres again began to circle in the sky, looking  
for its target.  
  
It found its target and launched a Flame Thrower. The man bushed his  
back against the tree and the attack missed, for the most part. A few  
stray Embers caused blisters to rise on his skin which had turned  
bright red, but the man chose to ignore the pain. He raised his  
weapon and prepared to fire.  
  
"Further right," muttered the man as Moltres streaked across the sky.  
BOOM! Moltres got hit in the left wing. It struggled to gain more  
altitude, then launched a Flame Thrower. It scorched a tree, but  
completely missed its target.  
  
"Good! I like it when they play hard," chuckled the man. Moltres's  
flight was slightly erratic now, it was obvious the wing was really  
hurting, but it refused to retreat. It skimmed the tree line and used  
Agility until it became a red flash.  
  
"Magnificent," muttered the man as he futilely tried to aim his  
weapon. Moltres circled over the ocean and came into the beach. It  
sent Embers at the man by flapping its wings. This action had an  
added effect. It stirred the sand on the beach, creating a Sandstorm.  
Trying to shield his face and hold his weapon, the man lost sight of  
the bird of fire. Moltres climbed high in the sky. Looking down it  
could see its attacker had left the safety of the trees. Moltres  
prepared itself for a Sky Attack.  
  
The man shook free of the Sandstorm and saw the bright flame as  
Moltres went higher into the atmosphere. He aimed his weapon and  
fired. BOOM! The icy pulse dissipated before it came close to the  
flame pokemon.  
  
Moltres responded with a Flame Thrower, but it was to high. The  
attack faded into an intense breeze as it hit the tree line. But this  
did block the man's sight of his target and Moltres prepared itself  
for its Sky Attack.  
  
"AAARRRKKK!" cried Moltres as it banked into a steep dive. The man  
threw himself to the right, hoping to lure Moltres to his trap. The  
bird of fire swept by, missing its target. A branch fell to the  
ground as Moltres took to the skies again. The man could see the  
branch was smoldering. BOOM! He fired as he got back to his feet.  
  
"You have to be tired by now," he muttered, "It won't be long." That  
icy pulse hit Moltres in its beautiful flame tail. Moltres was forced  
to turn almost ninety degrees to the right. It was mad at being shot  
at and hunt. Moltres' Rage attack was building.  
  
"TTTTEEEEEERRRRR!" Moltres cried in anger as it faced its opponent to  
launch a Fire Spin. Its flight was off because off its injured tail  
and wing. It circled right, close to the ground to finish the battle.  
  
"Yes!" cried the man as the net sprung open. Moltres was caught in  
mid-air. Its wings folded and it hit the earth hard.  
  
"AAARRRCCCCC!" it cried as it tried to free itself. A wave of fire  
was launched, but it did no good. The metal proved to be highly  
resistant to fire.  
  
"I don't think so Moltres," gloated the man, "You are mine." The man  
approached his prisoner. As if sensing his evil, Moltres doubled its  
efforts to escape. The man chuckled and pushed a button on the box.  
Electricity was sent throughout the metal net.  
  
"AAARRRIIIII!" cried Moltres in pain. It flailed, trying desperately  
to free itself.  
  
"Poor Moltres, are you weak against electricity?" taunted the man.  
Moltres snapped at him, then attempted to use Flame Thrower, but the  
pain it was in prevented it from succeeding. The machine didn't quit  
and at last Moltres collapsed from pain and exhaustion.  
  
Then man smiled evilly and went back to his ship. A large crane came  
out of the hold and Moltres was lifted into the belly of the ship.  
There the man put Moltres into a glass cage and repacked his weapons  
into the two blue bags.  
  
"One down. Now for number two," said the man as he walked to the  
helm. "Set a course  
for Ice Island. Articuno is next."  
  
************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** 


	2. Ruins of Alph

*************************************************************************  
  
The young girl raced down the stairs, her half combed, shoulder length  
black hair waving behind her. She jumped the last few stairs, almost  
upsetting the potted plant. Her socked feet made no noise on the  
carpet. She tore around the corner and ran straight into her father's  
arms.  
  
"You're home!" she cried as he dropped his briefcase to embrace his  
daughter.  
  
"Yes, Tasha, I am home," he replied, "I have missed you so much."  
  
"Are you staying this time?" Tasha asked.  
  
"I have some good news," he said dodging the question, "But first let  
me rest and unpack. I can tell you everything at dinner." Tasha  
nodded and ran to the kitchen. She wanted to make the best welcome  
home dinner ever, one worthy of her father's good news. Tasha was  
only twelve, but she had been able to cook since she was eight. Her  
father was gone a lot, working, so Tasha took care of herself. The  
widow across the street would check on her, but Tasha was too  
responsible to need a full time baby-sitter.  
  
"So what is your good news?" Tasha asked when they sat down to eat.  
  
"Well," her father began, running his hand through his brown hair.  
"Because of what happened to Professor Hale, the other archaeologists  
decided to let us take our families with us to the Ruins of Alph,  
providing of course they aren't to much trouble."  
  
"What?" asked Tasha a little confused. A month ago one of her dad's  
colleagues, Professor Hale had disappeared in the Ruins of Alph. A  
strange force had attacked his home and home town. Tasha had seen  
that on the news but wasn't able to make any sense of it. Professor  
Hale had been found, claiming he had seen some very rare pokemon; the  
Unown. It was all too weird for her.  
  
"What I mean is you can come with me to Egypt! We can be together  
again!" her dad exclaimed.  
  
"But, what about the house?" asked Tasha, still completely shocked.  
  
"The neighbors can take care of it. The important thing is we can be  
together, as a family," replied her dad. Tasha could feel a lump in  
her throat. Her mother had died a couple of years ago, and Tasha had  
been on her own a lot.  
  
"Sure it sounds great," she replied. She couldn't say no, her dad was  
to excited. Tasha swallowed her apprehension and they made plans to  
travel.  
Within a week Tasha was packed and ready to leave. She had a duffel  
bag with her things and her Oddish walked by her feet. Oddish was her  
only real friend, she didn't have any human friends. Oddish was her  
first and only pokemon. Tasha never went on her own pokemon journey,  
she just never wanted to. One day she had caught Oddish in the garden  
and they had been friends ever since.  
  
Tasha looked back at the house, and they climbed into the taxi that  
would take them to the airport. Tasha had never flown before, so she  
was nervous.  
  
"Tasha, I brought something back for you," said her dad when they were  
3000 feet up. He reached into his pocket and held out a necklace.  
The cord was black and the charm was a two inch by one inch square.  
On it was a strange symbol. It was a circle with a dot in the middle.  
Out of the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast corners  
were tiny lines. Had these lines continued through the circle they  
would have met at the dot.  
  
"It is a part of the Ruins of Alph. We think it is connected with the  
Unown, but we do not know. I want you to have it," said her father as  
he slipped it over her head.  
  
"Thanks!" Tasha exclaimed as she gave him a kiss. Soon they had  
landed and were setting up camp on the outside of the Ruins of Alph.  
  
Tasha had never seen anything like it. The ruins were big, and half  
crumbling. The inner part seemed to be three stories. People were  
everywhere. Some were taking pictures, others were digging. A few  
were cooking dinner.  
  
"Come on Tasha, let's find a place to camp," said her dad. Within the  
hour they had pitched the tent, inflated their air mattresses, and  
unpacked their bags. Tasha ate one of the worst meals of her life  
before she went to sleep.  
  
"Oddish, I know you are nocturnal," said Tasha with a yawn as she  
climbed on her air mattress, "But don't keep me awake. If I  
oversleep, you can wake me up, though."  
  
"Od-Oddish!" agreed Oddish. Tasha turned over and was fast asleep.  
The traveling and jet lag had taken its toll on her.  
  
The next day the sun was high over head before Tasha stirred.  
  
"What time is it?" she asked, "Oh no! I'm late! Dad wanted to show  
me the ruins today!" She exclaimed as she raced to her feet and began  
to grab at her change of clothes.  
  
"Oddish you were supposed to wake me!" She gently scolded the  
sleeping plant type.  
  
"I tried, you wouldn't move," Oddish replied as she stood up. Tasha  
froze.  
  
"What did you say?" she asked, "I thought I understood you." But that  
was impossible, no human could understand poke-speak.  
  
"Tasha, come on," said her dad from outside of the tent.  
  
"Coming!" she exclaimed as her and Oddish raced outside of the tent.  
  
"Oversleep," her dad teased when he saw them racing his way.  
  
"Uh, yeah," she said, "So what do you want to show me."  
  
"Come on," said her dad and the three went into the ruins. Her dad  
led her down a labyrinth of passages, before stopping at one where  
three other people were working.  
  
"Professor Hale, Professor Maple, and Dr. Hemlock I want you to meet  
my daughter  
Tasha," her dad introduced them.  
  
"You are the one who saw the Unown," said Tasha to Professor Hale.  
  
"Yes, but no one believes me," he replied. It was obviously true, the  
other archaeologists were laughing. They all turned their back to  
Tasha and got to work.  
  
"Tasha come here. I want to show you what I do," said her dad. Tasha  
walked over and her dad began a lecture about brushes and ancient  
times as he dusted and photographed the walls. Tasha let her mind  
wander. She noticed Oddish had fallen asleep. Tasha felt the same  
way.  
  
"Uh, dad what do these walls say?" she asked, interrupting his  
comparison of brushes.  
  
"No one knows. We take lots of pictures and examine them, but no one  
has been able to crack the code," replied her dad.  
  
"My daughter did," muttered Professor Hale, but no on but Tasha heard  
him. Her dad was back to his lecture.  
  
"This is boring," thought Tasha as the day wore on. All her dad did  
was dust walls.  
"Somehow I thought his job was more exciting."  
  
"Is your daughter coming?" asked her dad to Professor Hale. He must  
have sensed he lost Tasha's attention.  
  
"Yeah, Molly will be coming at the end of the month," replied  
Professor Hale without turning around. The archaeologists continued  
their work in silence. Tasha looked up, edge towards the door and  
snuck out. She raced outside, Oddish close behind.  
  
"I don't ever want to do that again!" she exclaimed as they entered  
the bright sunlight. The camp wasn't so busy now. Most people were  
hiding in the midday heat.  
  
"I agree, and I was sleeping," said Oddish as they entered their tent.  
Tasha whipped her head around.  
  
"What did you say?" she asked.  
  
"I said that I was asleep," answered Oddish.  
  
"This is too weird. I can understand what you are saying," said  
Tasha.  
  
"Weird! I can understand you too," said Oddish, "It was so hard  
before."  
  
"Why? What is happening?" asked Tasha.  
  
"I don't know," replied Oddish.  
  
"What do you mean it was so hard before?" asked Tasha.  
  
"Understanding you," replied Oddish, "Humans speak so funny." They  
talked the rest of the afternoon. Tasha and Oddish were still  
perplexed at this, but actually enjoyed being able to understand each  
other. The sun was setting when her dad returned.  
  
"So being in the desert doesn't bother you that much?" asked Tasha to  
Oddish as her dad walked in.  
  
"No, I like the sunlight," replied Oddish.  
  
"I remember when I used to imagine I could understand pokemon,"  
interrupted her dad.  
  
"But I do understand Oddish," replied Tasha.  
  
"You only imagined it honey," said her dad, "They are serving dinner  
now. Let's eat." He exited the tent.  
  
"Why doesn't he believe me?" asked Tasha.  
  
"I don't know, but I think you are going to have a hard time  
convincing anyone," replied Oddish, "I'm hungry, let's eat."  
  
"Sounds good to me," said Tasha and they left the tent together.  
  
The next morning Tasha woke up on time.  
  
"Tasha, if you don't want to watch me work, you don't have to," said  
her dad. "You can roam around, as long as you stay in sight of  
someone. Remember, the ruins haven't been completely explored."  
  
"OK, dad," agreed Tasha as he left.  
  
"What do you want to do, Oddish?" she asked her pokemon.  
  
"Sleep," replied Oddish, who had her eyes closed.  
  
"Well, I am going for a walk," said Tasha. She left Oddish and  
started exploring. The campsite was boring. People were studying  
pictures and stones. There was nothing there to interest a twelve  
year old.  
  
Tasha then wandered into the ruins. She slipped into the first room.  
The archaeologists had already finished with it. Tasha ran her  
fingers over the chiseled letters. It seemed so mysterious. She  
suppressed the urge to giggle. If she would have looked at the  
necklace her dad had given her, she would have seen that it was  
glowing with a black aura. Tasha scanned the writings.  
  
"Our words shall remain here for the ages," she read out-loud.  
"What!" Tasha double checked, "Our words shall remain here for the  
ages." She traced each letter with her finger. "Dad said no one  
could read this." She started to back up. "But Professor Hale said  
his daughter could. This is getting weird." Tasha turned and quickly  
walked out of the ruins. It was time for lunch, so she ate, then  
spent the rest of the day at the tent.  
  
"What is wrong? Something is bothering you?" asked Oddish.  
  
"Just....just another bizarre thing," replied Tasha, "It's nothing."  
  
"What is nothing?" asked Oddish.  
  
"Just, I thought I could have read the writing in the ruins. Isn't  
that silly?" answered  
Tasha.  
  
"No sillier than understanding pokemon," replied Oddish. "You  
probably really did read it."  
  
"No way! Dad said no one could," exclaimed Tasha.  
  
"Didn't your dad say no one understands pokemon?" asked Oddish.  
  
"Yes....but," stuttered Tasha.  
  
"You should go back and try to read it," suggested Oddish, "Do it at  
night, like any sane creature."  
  
"I will if you go with me," replied Tasha.  
  
"Fine! I was hoping you'd ask," answered Oddish. They heard  
footsteps approaching.  
  
"Hey, Tasha, did you enjoy your day?" asked her dad as he walked into  
the tent.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Dad is it really true that no one can read the ruins?"  
asked Tasha.  
  
"Right now it is, but we have people who are trying to translate  
them," answered her  
father. "Ready for dinner?"  
  
"Sure," Tasha replied and they went out.  
  
"Don't forget! We are going to read the ruins tonight," chimed Oddish  
as they left the tent. Tasha nodded.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	3. The Last of the Trio

The metallic whine of the hold opening awoke Moltres. It looked around at the glass prison and the shadowy exterior before attempting an attack. Fire burst from its body as it launched a Fire Spin. The glass remained unbroken. Moltres lowered its head. It was still exhausted from its prior battle. It rolled its eyes up at the patch of sky where the hold opened.  
  
A shadow blocked the sun as an object was lowered into the hold. The object moved as it hit the ground. Moltres could see crumpled blue feathers. It lowered its head again. Articuno had been captured.  
  
The man appeared in the hold an moved Articuno to a similar glass enclosure. Then he stared at his new catch.  
  
"You were good," the man gloated, "But I am better. You are mine." He walked over to Moltres and just looked. He studied the bird of fire.  
  
Moltres refused to look him in the eye. It just wished he would go away. Moltres felt like he was driving into its privacy. It wanted to escape from its gaze. After a long while the man left.  
  
"Now approaching Thunder Island," the computer voice said as the man entered the deck.  
  
"Good, the final piece of my collection," said the man. He examined the net. "Too bad Articuno ruined this. I will have to find another way to make Zapdos mine." He opened a compartment in the back of the boat and began to rummage through the assorted equipment.  
  
"I have an idea," he said, grinning. He pulled out a green bag and went back to the helm. After docking by a rocky outcropping the man set foot on Thunder Island.  
  
"It won't be long," he said as he traveled into the island. He quickly found the area he was looking for, a dense patch of bushes.  
  
"Perfect!" he exclaimed. He opened the green bag and pulled out four black canisters. He placed them high up on the bushes. Then he looked for the emptiest places and hammered five four foot aluminum rods into the ground. After double checking to make sure everything was secure, the man began to make plans on how to lure Zapdos out of hiding.  
  
"With these thick trees I won't be able to launch a missile," muttered the man. "I need something else." He sat down to consider his options.  
  
The solution seemed simple enough. He went back to his ship and returned with a six inch box with a lot of dials. Then the man slipped on a pair of headphones and activated the box. A high pitched screech resounded through the whole island. It was deafening, had the man not been prepared. From somewhere deep in the heart of the island Zapdos awoke and took flight.  
  
The man watched the skies, beginning to think his plan had failed. But then a yellow blur caught his attention. He jumped as a Thunderbolt was launched at him. The sonic emitter was dropped and shattered. The man tore off the headphones and reached for his weapon as Zapdos screeched its battle cry.  
  
"TTTTAAAAAAEEEEERRRR!" it cried as it attempted a Wing Attack on the intruder. BOOM! The man's weapon fired and Zapdos was forced to evade the fiery ball that was launched at it. Zapdos went into a steeper dive and attempted to turn its Wing Attack into a Sky Attack, but because of a rocky outcropping it was forced to abort that idea.  
  
BOOM! The weapon fired as Zapdos gained altitude. Weaving to the right Zapdos escaped unharmed. It circled around and dove to use Drill Peck. The man threw himself out of the way and Zapdos sailed harmlessly passed.  
  
BOOM! The man launched another projectile. Zapdos heard the noise and used Agility to escape the new attack. It didn't even bother to look and see where the attack was coming from.  
  
"KKKKAAARRREEE!" it cried as it pummeled the ground with electricity. The man didn't even move when this happened. He trusted that the lightning rods would do their job. POW! A tree exploded as the intense electricity turned its sap into steam. Splinters showered the ground, but the man remained unhurt.  
  
"Not so easily beaten," muttered the man. A volley of Thunder Shocks continued to pelted the ground. The rods he had planted earlier still neutralized them though. BOOM! The man took another shot. Zapdos banked left, but the tips off its wing was singed. Unable to maneuver as easily Zapdos responded by using Thunder. The attack was absorbed by a lightning rod and the man prepared to fire again.  
  
Click! His weapon failed to respond.  
  
"Out of ammo!" he exclaimed as he crouched behind a boulder. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out another cylinder. Zapdos rushed him with a Wing Attack. He threw himself on the ground as the legendary thunder bird swept over him.  
  
"SSSSCCCRRRREEEEE!" screeched Zapdos in defiance. Somehow it managed to stop just above the tree line and hovered there. Facing its attacker the electric pokemon summoned a mighty Razor Wind which pinned the man to the rocks he was hiding behind. Zapdos then launched a Thunderbolt as it lifted into the sky once more.  
  
The man thought that Zapdos would try to flee, but the pokemon did not. It gained altitude and circled back to its target. Combining Thunder and Sky Attack the thunder bird sent a powerful whirlwind of sheer energy at the man. CRACK! The boulder the man was hiding behind shattered into gravel.  
  
Quickly the man snapped off the empty cylinder and reloaded the weapon.  
  
"How magnificent," he muttered as he aimed. Just when Zapdos was in his sights the bird disappeared around a high part of the forest. "Don't hide. The game is just getting good." A blue haze started to cover the ground as Zapdos drew its full strength. The man could feel his hair standing on end at the intense static electricity in the air.  
  
"AAARRREEEIIII!" yelled Zapdos as it unleashed a new assault. It used Flash and blinded the man. Zapdos followed this up with several Thunders while its opponent was still disoriented. It didn't matter though because the lightning rods were still doing their job.  
  
"AAAEEEERRRRHHH!" cried Zapdos using Frustration. It summoned storm clouds and absorbed their power. Combining these with a Thunderbolt Zapdos once again assaulted. Its target was once again trying to shoot at it. The two attacks simultaneously filled the air. The new attacks blasted the ground and exploded trees. One of the lightning rods melted into a pile of gray liquid.  
  
The man was barely missed by that attack. Zapdos also emerged unscathed. The man looked in the sky for his target. The sky had grown dark with storm clouds. BOOM! The man fired a misty haze. Vision was partly obscured as the main attack hit Zapdos in its already weak wing.  
  
"TTTTTEEERRRR!" it cried as it flew despite its numb wing. Seeing that it was slowed the man fired another icy pulse. Zapdos had just launched a Thunder Shock. The two attacks collided with full force. Each was forced to evade the violent shock waves that resulted.  
  
The man fired again before the thunder bird could turn and face him. Zapdos was in mid curve and was forced to bank down and to the right to dodge the attack. It dove just above a thick clump of bushes.  
  
POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! The cylinders that were hiding in those bushes exploded. A thick stringy white substance filled the air. It clung to the trees, bushes, ground, and Zapdos. Zapdos flailed trying to escape from the gluey strings that had ensnared it. It still struggled to gain altitude. It launched a Thunderbolt out of desperation. The attack never made it to its target though.  
  
BOOM! The man fired at Zapdos again.  
  
"SSSEEERRRR!" it screech as it crashed into the ground. The web that had ensnared it pinned it to the ground. Zapdos tried to claw its way free, but the webbing would not give. The man approached, the look of victory in his eyes.  
  
"You are mine," he said smiling. Zapdos lashed out with a Thunderbolt, but the lightning rods still prevented the attack from hitting its target.  
  
"It looks like I am going to have to teach you respect," said the man. He uncoiled what looked like a whip from his belt. It was black and had a thick handle. The very end of the cord had a barb in it.  
  
Knowing what was coming Zapdos clawed at the ground and tried to spread its wings. But it was no use. It was still trapped.  
  
The man raised the "whip" over his head and brought it down on Zapdos's exposed back. The barb sunk into its skin, past the feather, and Zapdos could smell its blood. It tried to wriggle free of the coil.  
  
The man grinned. He pushed the button on the handle and an intense electric pulse was released through the coil and into Zapdos's body.  
  
"AAARRRRIIII!" it cried in pain.  
  
"Not until you learn," gloated the man. He didn't ease up until Zapdos's body went limp. Then he removed the barb from its back. "Pity that prophecy was fulfilled or Lugia would be mine also."  
  
The man returned to his ship and brought back a can containing a strange liquid. Checking first to make sure Zapdos was unconscious, but alive he poured the liquid over the webs. They dissolved instantly. The man then used the crane and lowered Zapdos into an enclosure next to Articuno. Articuno was still unconscious and Moltres appeared to be asleep. The man smiled at his prizes before returning to the helm.  
  
"Computer; home," he ordered, "Computer, current information about Entei, Raikou, and Suicune." "No current data on Suicune or Raikou," replied the computer, "Entei was spotted in Greenfi eld last month, but has been confirmed to be an illusion." "That makes it harder, but I will not stop until I own every pokemon," muttered the man. "Computer; areas well known for legends about Suicune, Entei, and Raikou."  
  
"Raikou; South Asia, the northern part of South America, Ecruteak City, the Ruins of Alph in Egypt. Suicune; South Africa, Australia, Ecruteak City, the Ruins of Alph in Egypt. Entei; Middle East, Central America, Ecruteak City, and the Ruins of Alph in Egypt," replied the computer.  
  
"Computer, what are the known areas for legends about Lugia and Ho-Oh?" the man asked.  
  
"Lugia; Shimute Island, the Ruins of Alph in Egypt. Ho-Oh; Ecruteak City; the Ruins of Alph in Egypt," answered the computer. The man got an interesting look in his eye.  
  
"Computer, areas of Mew and Celebi legends," he ordered.  
  
"Mew; an isolated shrine in South America, Ruins of Alph in Egypt. Celebi; Azalea Town, Ruins of Alph in Egypt," replied the computer. The man smiled.  
  
"After I take my prizes home I am going to pay a visit to Egypt," the man said, greed in his eyes . ************************************************************************** 


	4. Reading

That night Tasha was slipping out of the tent, flashlight in hand. Oddish was walking by her feet. Once they were away from the tents Tasha turned on the flashlight. They walked silently around the assorted equipment that had been left out. Tasha swallowed. She was nervous. She felt like she was breaking some rule. She involuntarily shuddered.  
  
"Grrr," she heard.  
  
"Who's there?" she asked shining the flashlight in the shadows.  
  
"Growlithe," came the reply as the beam of light rested and a black striped, red canine.  
  
"Did we wake you?" asked Oddish.  
  
"No, what are you doing?" he asked, rising.  
  
"We just want to explore the ruins," answered Tasha, still surprised she could understand poke-speak.  
  
"It isn't safe," replied the Growlithe.  
  
"We won't go far," replied Oddish.  
  
"It's not smart, but I am not going to stop you," replied the Growlithe before going to sleep again. Tasha and Oddish proceeded.  
  
They entered the dark corridors of the Ruins of Alph. Tasha's flashlight cast interesting shadows that provoked the imagination. Oddish was a few steps ahead of Tasha.  
  
"In here," whispered Tasha as she indicated the room she had been in earlier. The slipped into the carved room.  
  
"This is what I read before," said Tasha as she shone her flashlight on the wall.  
  
"What does it say?" asked Oddish as she craned her neck up to see the spot Tasha was shining her flashlight.  
  
"Our words shall remain here for the ages," read Tasha, still perplexed at how she could do it.  
  
"What does it mean?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I'm not sure," replied Tasha as she scanned farther ahead. She began to read the walls, as if in some kind of spell. She couldn't pull herself away.  
  
"What does it say? What does it say?" asked Oddish, jumping up and down.  
  
"A great civilization used to live here, when the land was prosperous," summarized Tasha. "They were a very wise civilization and earned the trust of many pokemon we now only know through legends. They became powerful, too powerful. Eventually a ruler came to power who did not respect the pokemon who had given them their trust. He refused the outside world and its advice. Eventually the pokemon began to flee, one by one, and the land fell to famine and plagues. The vain ruler demanded drastic actions be taken to preserve what pokemon remained. What they did to hold them....." Tasha's eyes went wide as she continued to read.  
  
"I cannot even repeat what they did," said Tasha. "But instead of the plagues going away, they multiplied. A group of people demanded that the ruler stop, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Out of desperation, the people rebelled. Many died and the pokemon fled. The ruler was killed. The leader of the rebels was made the new ruler. He ordered this shrine to be built, in remembrance of what happened."  
  
" 'We humans must learn to live in harmony with them,' " read Tasha, " 'We depart for their sake. Thus we shall erect a pokemon statue outside. So our tragedy may never repeat itself.' "  
  
"We saw that statue coming in," said Oddish, "but I don't know what pokemon it was."  
  
"I think it was Entei," said Tasha, "There is just a little more... The humans left and the land became a desert. The new ruler was the last to leave, paying his respects in this shrine. A single tear fell, as he regretted his people's folly. A pokemon, hiding in the shadows saw this. A symbol of hope, that one day, maybe, humans and pokemon could live together in harmony. That pokemon specie has lived here ever since, collecting knowledge from the world. They are looking for people who have pure hearts, who are ready to live in peace. They are waiting for the world to be ready for their return."  
  
"Do you mean that there are pokemon here, now?" asked Oddish, looking around.  
  
"I think this is just a story, probably used to teach a lesson or something," said Tasha.  
  
"Yeah, right," said Oddish sarcastically. Tasha yawned.  
  
"Come on, I need to get some sleep," said Tasha.  
  
"The night is just starting," protested Oddish, "You human do everything backwards."  
  
"If you want to stay here, be my guest. Good night," said Tasha, leaving.  
  
"Wait for me!" exclaimed Oddish as she followed Tasha.  
  
A shadowy figure watched them leave, hiding behind the door frame. The shadow was over come with curiosity. Could it be? The figure was half tempted to follow, but decided not to leave the safety of the ruins. It vanished as quietly as it had appeared.  
  
"Tasha, wake up," said her dad the next morning, "do you want to come back in the ruins with me?"  
  
"Uh, what?" she asked groggily. Oddish was still asleep.  
  
"I never know how you can sleep so much. There is something I want to show you in the ruins. I think you'll like it," said her dad. Tasha crept out of her sleeping bag, got ready, and followed him.  
  
"I really hope I don't have to sit through another lecture," she thought as they followed her father. They entered the dark corridors of the ruins. Her dad led her down a hallway she hadn't seen before.  
  
"In here," said her dad as he ducked into one of the many rooms.  
  
"What is so....." she trailed off as she looked at the carvings on the wall of this room.  
  
"What do you think? This is perhaps the biggest puzzle here," said her dad as Tasha scanned the walls with awe. "Even the moving panels haven't puzzled us this much." The walls, while lined with more of the strange script, were covered with pictures of pokemon also. Pokemon that Tasha had never seen before, save in fairy tales.  
  
"What does....what.....I mean...." stammered Tasha.  
  
"We have no answers," said her dad, "We have guessed that this room contains stories or legends about all these pokemon, but we have no idea how the people who built this shrine had any knowledge of them."  
  
"They used to trust them," said Tasha in daze as she traced the carving of Ho-Oh.  
  
"I knew you would like it," said her dad smiling. "I have to get back to work, but if you promise not to roam around, I'll let you stay here."  
  
"OK!" Tasha quickly agreed. Her dad left.  
  
"What does it say?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I haven't read it yet," said Tasha.  
  
"Why not?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I like the pictures," said Tasha. "Ho-Oh, Lugia, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Entei.....I don't even know half of these."  
  
"But what does it say?" demanded Oddish.  
  
" 'Ho-Oh, the rainbow bird, was one of the last to leave,'" read Tasha, " 'Ho-Oh is said to return once peace is established. Its kind always wanted harmony between people and pokemon. It even went as far as to set up a covenant in Ecruteak City. But the humans there betrayed it. Ho-Oh left, leaving behind a rainbow, a sign that it still hasn't abandoned hope. Still looking for a person with a pure heart, Ho-Oh is still searching the world. Is currently residing on Mt. Jarment, where it watches the travelers, hopeful that one who wants peace will come.'"  
  
"Do you mean Ho-Oh is there now?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I don't think so," answered Tasha, "Remember this was written a long time ago."  
  
"The why does it mention Ecruteak City? Isn't that new?" asked Oddish. Tasha's eyes widened at this thought.  
  
"I am sure there has to be a logical explanation," she said at last.  
  
"Logical, like how you can talk to pokemon," responded Oddish. Tasha turned away. She had no answer for this. She began to read again.  
  
" 'Lugia has the ability to bring peace with its voice. Perhaps the only one capable of calming the storms. Lugia revealed itself to calm the quarreling birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. It risked itself to preserve the world. It was almost captured, which would have meant a tremendous lost of life, but its song was played, and the seas calmed. Lugia went back into hiding in the Whirl Islands once its job was done. The beast of the sea awaits the day when it will be needed again.'" Tasha stopped reading when she realized her arm was shaking.  
  
"Didn't that just happen? Lugia stopping those birds and calming the ocean I mean," asked Oddish.  
  
"That.....is.....impossible...." stammered Tasha. "There is no way that this could have been written within the past year. It has to mean something else."  
  
"Like what?" asked Oddish. It was another question Tasha didn't have an answer to. "What else does it say?"  
  
"I don't want to know," said Tasha. She turned to leave.  
  
"You promised your dad you wouldn't go anywhere," said Oddish.  
  
"You're right," said Tasha, stopping.  
  
"So what else does it say?" asked Oddish. Tasha once more turned her head to the walls, again mesmerized by their spell.  
  
" 'There is one who was never seen before in history, and will never be seen again,'" she read, " 'He possesses great strength and intelligence. He was brought into the world to battle, but has since denied that reason. He had once trusted humans, but was betrayed. In anger he attacked. He made plans to destroy the world, but the selfless actions of a child convinced him otherwise. He deserted his plans and fled to Mt. Cana, hoping to live in solitude and peace. But he was found by his enemies and forced to decided between his freedom and the lives of his friends. In the end, the humans had almost taken his life. Severely injured he was helped into the healing waters by the same child he had hurt earlier. His heart completely open, he fled Mt. Cana and went to Goldenrod City. There he hides, watching, and looking, to know the hearts of humans.'"  
  
"What do you mean 'Was never seen before in history?'" asked Oddish.  
  
"I don't know," replied Tasha. "That is just what it says."  
  
"Weird! Keep reading!" encouraged Oddish. And Tasha did. She had nearly finished with the room when her father returned.  
  
"This wasn't too boring," said her father as he entered.  
  
"No," replied Tasha, tracing the carving of Articuno.  
  
"Tasha, are you OK? You seem a little pale," asked her dad.  
  
"I'm fine, really. Just hungry," she answered.  
  
"Well, it is time for lunch. Come on," said her dad and they left the ruins.  
  
"You probably don't want to spend your days in a cold stone chamber," said her dad as they left, "Why don't you stay outside. A few other kids have arrived. Why don't you play with them?"  
  
"Um....Uh" stuttered Tasha. Despite the startling things she had been reading, she wanted to go back into the ruins and finish the room. She still hadn't read about Articuno, Zapdos, or Moltres.  
  
"Maybe you should lay down," suggested her dad, "You aren't sick, are you? You seem a little flushed."  
  
"No, I'm fine," she replied quickly. Although, after lunch, she did end up following her father's advice and took a nap.  
  
"Are you going to finish reading the room?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I want to," said Tasha.  
  
"Good! We can go tonight! Like any sane creature," chimed Oddish.  
  
"Wait! I never said that!" protested Tasha. But Oddish convinced her to sneak in that night.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Beautiful," the man said as he looked at Zapdos in its new cage. It was a glass enclosure, larger than the one on the boat. But it was all a one way mirror. There were several artificial trees with long, thick branches. What wasn't glass was painted a multi-green background. There was even a small stream. But Zapdos didn't even seem to care. Its head was tucked under its wing and it wasn't moving.  
  
"You'll come around," said the man as he walked to Articuno's cage. Much to his dismay, however, the legendary bird of ice had completely covered the viewing window with an ice beam.  
  
"I am going to have to do something about that," muttered the man. "A super defrost should do the trick." He left his private zoo and headed into his computer room.  
  
"Computer, set a course for the Ruins of Alph. I leave tomorrow," he said.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	5. Danger at Night

"What does it say?" asked Oddish, once they were in the room that night.  
  
"Give me a second," said Tasha as she steadied her flashlight. She began to read, but abruptly stopped when she reached the bottom.  
  
"What?" asked Oddish.  
  
"This can't be!" she exclaimed. She quickly scanned the writings about the other rare birds. "No!"  
  
"What?!" demanded Oddish.  
  
" '...Moltres was lured out of its lair. In a battle against technology, Moltres was severely hurt. Taking advantage to this, the collector trapped the bird of fire. Hurting it more to make it weaker, he seized Moltres and imprisoned it. Moltres is hurt and ensnared. To be used solely as a jewel in the collector's zoo, Moltres has stopped eating, sinking into a depression because it cannot fly....'" Tasha trailed off. She had omitted the worst parts and still she couldn't finish.  
  
"What?" asked Oddish, somewhat shocked and afraid.  
  
"It says the same thing about Articuno and Zapdos," added Tasha. "I don't like this.....it can't be good. I need to get back. I can't stay here." Tasha turned and fled the ruins, Oddish right behind her.  
  
Once outside Tasha leaned against the building, her breathing raged. She felt tears on her eyes, but held them back.  
  
"Don't worry," Oddish tried to comfort her, "It was just a story."  
  
"No, it is truth," she replied, "The ruins are alive, somehow. And it knows!" The charm on Tasha necklace had a black aura surrounding it. Tasha turned and went back to her tent. Oddish followed.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I don't know," answered Tasha, "It is just that.....those pokemon in the legends mean something. Peace, harmony....those words keep coming up. Those pokemon are like mediators between all humans and pokemon. It has to do with trust. But everything has led to betrayal, and that is when people and pokemon get hurt. I don't quite understand, but what the collector is doing to the legendary birds is wrong, and someone is going to get hurt."  
  
"It is just a story," insisted Oddish, "You said so yourself. How can the ruins know what is going on? The words have already been written. How can they be what's going on now?"  
  
"I don't know," replied Tasha, "But I am afraid." They had made it back to the tent. Tasha laid down, but sleep was along way coming. The sun had begun to color the sky when she finally nodded off.  
  
"Wake up," her dad nudged her, "It is noon. You already missed breakfast, I'm not going to let you sleep through lunch, too."  
  
"What?" she asked groggily.  
  
"It is the middle of the day," said her father, "I am beginning to think you are trying to sleep as much as Oddish."  
  
"Dish!" protested Oddish as she struggled to her feet.  
  
"Come on," said her dad. They left the tent and ate in silence.  
  
"Tasha, I have a job for you to do," said her dad.  
  
"What?" she asked as soon as she swallowed.  
  
"Come on, I'll show you," he said. He led her to the ruins. His arms were full of papers and graphite. He led her to the room with the carvings of the legendary pokemon. Tasha shuddered as she entered.  
  
"This is what I want you to do," he said, "Put a piece of paper to the wall and rub graphite over it. You will get a print of the picture and we will study them. I figured you would like this job, considering how much you enjoyed being in here the other day."  
  
"Sure," said Tasha sheepishly. Here dad left her with the pile of blank paper.  
  
"You don't look good," said Oddish.  
  
"I don't want to be here. There is too much betrayal," replied Tasha.  
  
"Then why didn't you tell your dad that?" asked Oddish. Tasha didn't answer. She had picked up a piece of paper and had walked over to the carving of Ho-Oh. She had just put the piece of paper to the wall when her charm began to glow again. Tasha felt her eyes drift to the script and she was reading it before she could stop herself.  
  
"What?!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Oddish.  
  
"This said that Ho-Oh was at Mt. Jarment yesterday, right?" asked Tasha, a haunted look in her eyes.  
  
"Yeah," answered Oddish, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Because it now says that Ho-Oh is north of Blackthorn City," she replied.  
  
"No way!" exclaimed Oddish, "Do you mean the letters changed?"  
  
"Yes," said Tasha. She was shaking. "I don't like this."  
  
"Did anything else change?" asked Oddish.  
  
"Mew went higher up the mountain, and Entei went to the Lake of Rage," said Tasha as she quickly scanned the walls. "But Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are still prisoners."  
  
"How do you think the writing changed?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I don't know," she replied. She began to do the rubbings like her dad had asked.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"That should be all I need," said the collector as he finished loading his helicopter. "I'll be in Egypt by the afternoon."  
  
"Computer, download all data from the archaeologists who are studying the ruins. Be sure to include a map," he ordered as the helicopter took off.  
  
"Downloading," the computer confirmed.  
  
"Soon, they will all be mine," the man said as the helicopter made its way to the desert.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Tasha sat with her head down at the next meal. She was silent and lost in thought.  
  
"What is wrong?" asked her dad when he noticed her solemn attitude.  
  
"There is something weird with the ruins," she replied.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
  
"The writing looks different than it did yesterday," she answered.  
  
"You are probably just imagining it," said her dad. Tasha didn't say anything.  
  
"If you don't want to go back, you don't have to," said her dad. "Stay outside. You can meet the other kids."  
  
"I think I am going to lay down," she said as she stood. Tasha went back to the tent and threw herself on her air mattress.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Oddish.  
  
"I am worried about Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres," she answered.  
  
"But you've never seen them!" exclaimed Oddish.  
  
"What happened to them is wrong," said Tasha.  
  
"Then you should tell someone," suggested Oddish.  
  
"No one would believe me. My own dad doesn't," replied Tasha. "I just need to sleep." She rolled over and closed her eyes.  
  
"I think you should talk about it," said Oddish, but Tasha didn't reply.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Is there only one entrance?" the collector asked to computer.  
  
"One back entrance has been found, but the safety of it is questionable," replied the computer.  
  
"It will be worth the risk," said the man, "Where is the data about the legends?" The computer pulled up pictures of the carvings that Tasha had studied.  
  
"But was does it say about them?" the man asked.  
  
"Still unknown. The ruins are written in an unfamiliar language which has yet to be translated," relied the computer.  
  
"That is going to make it harder. But there still might be clues there," said the man. The helicopter had landed in the desert as the sun was setting. He was just out of sight of the Ruins of Alph.  
  
"I'll enter at midnight, once everyone is asleep," he muttered to himself.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Late that night Tasha stirred in her sleep. This movement awoke Oddish.  
  
"Are you awake Tasha?" asked Oddish. Tasha didn't reply, but she stood up. She was in her day clothes, considering she had fallen asleep in them. "Tasha!" exclaimed Oddish as she left the tent. "Wait!"  
  
The two exited their tent and began to slip through the sleeping camp. Tasha seemed to be drawn somewhere. Her necklace was glowing with its black aura.  
  
"Are you awake?" Oddish practically screamed.  
  
"Hum? What? How?" asked Tasha as she snapped out of her trance.  
  
"You were sleep walking," replied Oddish.  
  
"Weird," she muttered, "I have this sudden urge to go to that chamber."  
  
"Then grab a flashlight!" exclaimed Oddish.  
  
"Hum? Sure, you worry too much," she replied as she picked one up off of the nearby table. The two friends entered the shadowy corridors of the ruins. Tasha's feet went on their own. They were soon in the room with the legendary carvings.  
  
"What do you want here?" asked Oddish when they stopped.  
  
"I don't know. Why did I come here?" asked Tasha  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"It should be around here somewhere," muttered the man as he swung his flashlight through the dark passageways. He froze when he heard a noise. He proceeded more cautiously.  
  
"They are all supposed to be asleep!" he exclaimed softly when he saw a light coming from a room up ahead. He slipped against the wall and peered in through the doorway. Inside was a young girl and an Oddish. They were talking.  
  
"Yes, they are still prisoners," said the girl sadly.  
  
"O-Oh-Di!" said the pokemon.  
  
"I don't know," said the girl. "I don't see any changes." She swung her flashlight around the walls, illuminating the carvings.  
  
"This is it! This is where their legends are!" thought the man excitedly.  
  
"D-Dish?" asked Oddish.  
  
"No, they are all in the same places they were this morning," the girl answered.  
  
"Odd-Oddish," said the plant type.  
  
"I don't know," she replied.  
  
"It sounds like she actually understands her pokemon. Isn't that cute," the man thought.  
  
"Oh-Odi," said Oddish.  
  
"That is because I don't know! They say what they say! I only read them! And I don't even know how I do that!" exclaimed the girl, exasperated.  
  
"Can she read the ruins? If she can, she would become invaluable to me," thought the man, and evil plan forming.  
  
"Odd-dish," said the pokemon.  
  
"OK," she replied and turned to the walls, "Entei is a very caring pokemon and will defend its friends and family to the death. Loyalty runs deep in this species, and even its illusion felt a strong sense of loyalty to a young human child...."  
  
"She is reading them! This is perfect!" thought the man.  
  
"......Lake of Rage, where it hides in solitude," she finished.  
  
"Entei is at the Lake of Rage? If these ruins tell where my treasures are hiding, and she can read them...... I will get that information out of her," thought the man as he decided to put his plan into action. He turned his flashlight off, then slipped into the room.  
  
"Oh-dish!" exclaimed the pokemon as neither noticed the stranger's presence.  
  
"I'm tired, can't we just come back tomorrow," she said, turning to her friend.  
  
The man lunged forward and grabbed her arm, twisting it back behind her and shoving it up her spine..  
  
"AAAHHH!" she cried in pain and dropped her flashlight. It hit the ground, then when out.  
  
"Oddish!" exclaimed the pokemon as she tried to help Tasha. But it was to dark to see anything.  
  
"Hold still," ordered the man as Tasha kicked and screamed. Complete pandemonium ensued. Tasha was trying to struggle free as the man was trying to pull something out of his pocket. Oddish attempted to use Absorb on him, but he kicked the pokemon. Oddish hit the wall, hard, and was knocked unconscious. But this allowed Tasha to free her one arm.  
  
She tried to make a break for it, but the man reached out and grabbed her wrist by sheer dumb luck. Tasha was almost pulled off of her feet as he jerked her back. He had pulled a small, damp cloth out of his pocket.  
  
"Help!" screamed Tasha as she kicked into the darkness. Once, she did connect with his shin, but he didn't let go.  
  
"I don't think so," he said, "You are going to help me." He grabbed Tasha by her hair and pulled her head back. She cried out in pain. He put the wet cloth over her nose and mouth. At first she struggled to break free. Then her body went limp as she became unconscious.  
  
The man then turned on his flashlight. Tasha was laying on the floor and Oddish was against the wall. Both were unconscious. He quickly glanced at the carvings, greed filling his eyes.  
  
"You will all be mine. I have the key now," he said. He picked up Tasha in a fireman's hold and left the ruins through the side entrance.  
  
Frequently looking behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed the man snuck across the sand dunes. He put her in the back part of the helicopter, after tying her wrists together.  
  
"Computer, home," he ordered before kicking his feet back.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	6. Kidnapped!

When Tasha woke up, she was laying on a couch. She tried to move a hand to brush a stray lock out of her eyes, but to her dismay her hands were tied together in front of her. The past night's events came rushing back to her; the ruins, the carvings, and the fight.  
  
"Oddish!" she yelled as soon as she found her voice, but no reply came. That is, she didn't get the reply she desired.  
  
"So, you are awake," said a man as he stepped into view. Tasha struggled into a sitting position.  
  
"Who are you?" she demanded.  
  
"Do not worry about that," he answered, "I have.....a proposition for you. Come this way."  
  
"Why should I? You kidnap me, hurt my friend, and take me who knows where!" yelled Tasha.  
  
"Because it is in your interest," replied the man, coolly, "If you cooperate, you will get out of here quicker." Seeing not alternative, Tasha reluctantly complied.  
  
The man led her past room after well-furnished room. The halls were all covered with the same rich carpet. Tasha could tell that some of the paintings and sculptures that decorated the rooms had to be near priceless. After walking this way a little bit, the man turned down a luxurious flight of stairs. Tasha followed, struggling silently against the ropes that bound her wrists. Finally the man stopped in front of a large set of double doors.  
  
"This way." Said the man as he opened the doors. They entered a slightly dimmer hallway. At first it seemed to Tasha that the walls were lined with windows, but soon she saw they were viewing areas to various enclosures. Tasha tried to identify what was in these enclosures, but their pace was too fast. Once she thought she saw a Kabuto in the shadows, but she shook her head. Kabutos were extinct. As soon as they reached the end of this hall the man led them through another set of double doors, into a hall with large viewing windows and slightly nicer decor.  
  
"This is what I want you to see," said the man as he stopped between two of the viewing windows. Tasha glared at him, then looked though the glass. She was horrified at what she saw. In one Moltres was perched with its head down. Its brilliant flame was weaker than it should have been. Next to Moltres, Zapdos was nervously preening itself. Several mangled yellow feathers were on the floor beneath it. Tasha gasped in horror and took a step back.  
  
"Magnificent, aren't they," gloated the man.  
  
"You're the one who hurt them!" gasped Tasha.  
  
"They are mine, and soon," said the man with a smile, "I will have a specimen from every specie in the world. My collection will be complete."  
  
"That's.....That's......That's awful!" stammered Tasha. She heard a small screech behind her and turned around. In the enclosure across from Zapdos and Moltres was Articuno. It was breathing hard, and to Tasha it was obvious the cage was to hot for it.  
  
"You fail to see their magnificence," said the collector as he turned to admire Zapdos.  
  
"This is wrong! You have to let them go! You are hurting them!" yelled Tasha.  
  
"I have no intentions of losing my prizes," he said, turning his attention back to the somewhat shocked girl. "In fact," he added, "I intended on expanding it." His eyes glared at Tasha as he said that.  
  
"What? How does that have anything to do with me?" she asked, taking another step backwards.  
  
"You know where my prizes are," he replied, his gaze was like that of a feral predator.  
  
"I...I don't know what you are talking about," said Tasha, backing up to the wall. But the first look of shock on her face revealed all. The collector knew she was lying.  
  
"It isn't nice to lie," he said, "And I will get that information, one way or another." He took a step towards Tasha. Tasha ran.  
  
She bolted down the hallway and through the double doors, having no idea where she was going.  
  
"You can't escape from my house," the man muttered before pulling out what looked like a TV remote and pushing a button on it. Before Tasha could reach the next set of doors the steel fire doors had locked. She pulled futilely on the handle, then felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Like I said," the collector said, turning her around, "I will get that information, one way or another. You can either cooperate or......" He let the threat hang in the air.  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about," insisted Tasha.  
  
"You aren't very good at lying," said the man, "I will only ask nicely one more time; Where are the pokemon who's pictures were in the ruins?"  
  
"I don't know," repeated Tasha.  
  
"Fine, I am prepared to do things the hard way," he grabbed Tasha by her arms and threw her over his shoulder  
  
"Put me down! Help!" she screamed.  
  
"There is no one to hear you," chuckled the collector. Tasha kicked and screamed, but nothing seemed to faze the man. He took her through the halls and made a left turn. In the new hallway, which was the opposite end of the same hallway where Tasha had started, the man entered a room. The room was sparsely decorated, and the floor was tile. There was a long rectangular table and a couch. In the middle of the room was some kind of raised platform. It was circular, about three feet in diameter, and about two inches off of the ground. From opposite ends of the circle, two poles rose, each about three feet high. Manacles dangled from the ends of these poles.  
  
The man dropped Tasha in the middle of the circle. Keeping a firm grip on her wrists, he untied the rope. Tasha continued to kick and scream, but she was held even more tightly. Dropping her right hand the man began to force her left wrist into the manacle. Tasha doubled her efforts and felt his grip sliding. She threw her weight down in an attempt to escape when he kicked her in the back of the knee. Tasha cried out in pain as her leg gave out from under her. This gave the man time to bind her wrist to the platform. He didn't have so much trouble fastening her other arm.  
  
Tasha struggled against the restraints, but they proved to be stronger than the ropes. Tasha found she could stand easily, but sitting meant her arms were almost fully extended above her head. The man walked to look her in the face. A uncoiled a long rope that looked like an extension cord from his belt.  
  
"Your choice," he said, staring her down, "the easy way, or the hard way."  
  
"I don't know anything!" she insisted.  
  
"Fine," the man walked behind her. He turned on the tazer as he walked. Shortly he was behind Tasha. (In slow motion) He gripped the weapon tighter, raised it above his head so that the whip was full extended by his side. Tasha tensed up, drawing herself into as little space as possible. She cringed and closed her eyes. The tazer began to descend (Sharp change to black).  
  
************************************************************************** 


	7. Raging at the Lake

The man exited the room a short time later with a look of victory on his face. Looking through the doors as he walked out a girl was slumped over, unconscious, in the chains that held her. Her shoulder length black hair completely covered her face. A small trickle of blood fell from her back to the floor.  
  
"So, Entei is indeed at the Lake of Rage," muttered the man as he entered his private library. He looked at the picture of the volcano pokemon with longing.  
  
"Computer," he said, "Produce a map of the area around the Lake of Rage and all information on Entei." A large holographic map appeared, which covered most of the left wall.  
  
"Entei is rumored to be as fast as the wind," said the computer, "and tries to avoid humans at all costs. Is more prone to run than battle. Can be highly volatile when anger and the recommended approach is caution."  
  
"Hummmm," muttered the man as he studied the area around the Lake of Rage. "It sounds like I may have to trap this one."  
  
The next day his private helicopter was loaded and he left to the Lake of Rage. After slowly circling the lake a few times, the man had a general idea of how to capture the elusive pokemon. He parked his helicopter on the far side of the lake, away from people and began to fine tune his plan.  
  
He careful walked around the lake, searching for signs of the rare pokemon. He avoided the tourist areas, knowing Entei would too. After much consideration the man decided that Entei would most likely approach the lake from the north-east shore, probably at dawn or dusk. That only gave him an hour to prepare.  
  
He returned to his helicopter and dug out a large brown canvas bag. Out of it he pulled a large coil of black wire. This he threaded throughout the trees in the area he suspected Entei to appear. After the wires were set he pulled two whips out of his helicopter. They were very similar to the tazers he had used earlier, except this time it was obvious these weapons were designed to carry more voltage. These he coiled around his waist.  
  
The man went to his helicopter and attached a long hose from it to the Lake of Rage. He then programmed the computer to fire with its hydro weapon when there would be temperatures over 300F. Then the man waited. He nervously toyed with one of the whips in his hand.  
  
The sunset was almost over and the collector thought he had miscalculated. The late dawn noises were beginning to put him in a trance. He shifted his weight from one crouched foot to the other and looked back at his helicopter, which was about five hundred feet behind him. He was seriously thinking that his information had been wrong. That is when he noticed the entire area had gone silent. He could hear his breathing.  
  
The man looked around for danger. A sudden movement caught his attention to his far right. It appeared to be a red shadow, moving through the trees. The collector held his breath. The shadow continued to approach, revealing thick paws, a ferocious red and yellow face, and a gray flowing mane. Entei had come.  
  
The man shifted silently into a ready position. The volcano pokemon was not quite close enough for him to attack, yet. Entei paused, searching for danger, The collector thought for a second that he had been detected, but then Entei continued its journey to the lake's shore. The man lunged forward, his whips glowing.  
  
"RRRREEEAAORRR!" bellowed Entei as it saw the challenge. It launched a Fire Spin, which sent the man diving for cover, and set some dead brush on fire. The man knew he was outmatched unless he was able to lure Entei into his trap.  
  
"This way," he muttered and made a slow, cautious retreat. Entei charged ready to use Bite. The man jumped out of the way.  
  
"AARRRGGG!" yelled the pokemon as its target once more eluded it. The man was almost within range of the helicopter by now.  
  
Entei cut off his drifting backwards with a Flame Thrower. The man dove out of the way, then rolled as Entei blew by, once again using Bite. Its teeth barely missed the collector's leg. The man shot to his feet and began to swing his whips through the air.  
  
"AAAHHGG!" cried Entei as one stung it. It was now madder than ever. It combined Rage with Flame Thrower and nearly vaporized a pine tree. The man was again trying to get closer to his helicopter. Entei squared off, out of range of the whips. It launched a powerful Fire Blast that instantly scattered any remaining wildlife.  
  
This however, was countered by the helicopter. They had finally gotten within range. The Fire Blast was caught in mid air by the hydro weapon. The water quickly extinguished the flame, then drenched the fire type. The man followed this up with a shock from his whip.  
  
Entei, now disoriented by the simultaneous attacks was reeling. The odds had suddenly turned. Entei had quickly sized up the new situation. It covered the area with a quick Smoke Screen, before turning to flee.  
  
"No!" cried the man as he took off in pursuit. They dove through trees, and around still burning brush. The man cracked his whip and Entei dodged it, going further left. Right into the tangle of wire. Its front left leg got snagged. The two stopped running.  
  
Seeing what had happened, each reacted instantaneously. Entei bent its head down and was about to bite through the wire. The collector pulled out a remote with a button on it and the whole wire was suddenly electrical. This had happened when Entei had put its mouth on the wire.  
  
"RRREEIIRR!" it cried in pain as its foot and jaw were shocked horribly. Entei jerked and pulled itself free. It then stumbled backwards, into more of the wires. It was now desperate to escape. The man grinned and increased the voltage.  
  
"AARRGGGHHHHHH!" Entei cried in pain. The electricity was too much. It could feel its who body seize up. It was paralyzed. Entei could not move as the electricity drained its strength and it collapsed.  
  
Not wanting to let his prize have an opportunity to escape, the man did not cut the electricity until a minute had passed. Keeping a nervous finger on the button, the man approached the injured fire type. Much to his relief, Entei was unconscious, but alive.  
  
He cut the wires around Entei, which had become quite tangled. This was a big risk ,if the pokemon woke up, it could flee. The man quickly returned to his helicopter and used the crane there to put Entei in the cargo area. Once Entei was secured the man injected it with a tranquilizer. Enough to keep a Tauros out for three days.  
  
After making sure to eliminate as much evidence as possible. The man climbed into the pilot's seat and set a course for his home. There Tasha was weeping bitterly.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	8. Search for Suicune

Entei paced around the strange enclosure, which it woke up and found itself in. A quick survey proved that the lush decorations were illusions, the whole place was a trap. It tried to free itself, but with no luck. Entei could also feel like someone was watching it, although it could not find out who or how.  
  
The collector watched as Entei paced around the caged, extremely content about his new success. He was ecstatic that his collection was so close to completion, and he had the key to finishing it.  
  
"And now," he thought, "To find my next treasure." He left the viewing area, looking at Articuno, whose cage was next to Entei's as he passed. The bird of ice seemed very discontent, and it was still breathing hard.  
  
The man left the legendary pokemon and turned his attention back on Tasha. He opened the door to her prison and saw that she was awake, futilely trying to free herself. Her eyes were red from crying. She saw him enter, jerked in surprise, then turned her head.  
  
"Now don't be that way," he said with mock sincerity, "It doesn't have to be this hard. Just tell me where they are and I won't hurt you. I fail to see why you hold their secret. Such magnificent creatures should not stay hidden. If you would just cooperate with me you would find that I am much more agreeable, and you would benefit greatly."  
  
"You are evil!" yelled Tasha, verging on hysterical, "You hurt them! Can't you see, it is not right to imprison them! They need, they deserve to be free!"  
  
"My dear, you are too young to realize what is going on here," coaxed the collector, "There is so little you understand about pokemon. Pokemon are meant to serve people. That is how it is supposed to be. They do battle for us, they do most hard work. I have chosen to have compassion and save the legendaries from that fate. They have to do nothing because they are mine. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will leave. But, if you continue to be so stubborn I will have to use other means to get the information I desire."  
  
"I refuse to help you! You are the one who doesn't realize anything! What you are doing is wrong! Everyone is going to get hurt! You are so blind you don't even see those obvious facts!" yelled Tasha, "I will never help you!"  
  
"So you continue to do things the hard way, so be it," said the man, a look of cruelty appearing in his eyes, "I ask once; Where is Suicune? Don't make me use this." He pulled out his tazer. Tasha eyes went wide and her face drained of all blood. She was afraid.  
  
"No," she said quietly.  
  
"So be it," responded the collector. He once again brought down the weapon.  
  
From outside the room a painful scream could be heard. It was loud enough that Moltres finally raised its head. It, along with the others, understood the collector was hurting someone else.  
  
"Mount Silver!" cried a female voice between the pain.  
  
"See, you can't beat me," gloated the collector, "the sooner you stop struggling the better off you will be." Tasha was hanging from her manacles, barely conscious.  
  
"And now, for my next prize," said the collector as he left the room. He made quick plans with the help of his computer and was ready to leave by the next afternoon.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
The quiet bliss of Mount Silver was shattered late the next afternoon. A helicopter noisily landed in a vacant clearing, scattering the wild pokemon. Though most were incredibly strong, they still didn't want to face a human. This left the man alone to carry out his evil plan.  
  
He quickly set up his trap. This was several electric rods buried in the ground. Then he sat and waited. The sun was dipping in the sky and still nothing unusual happened.  
  
In order to relieve his aching muscles, the collector began to slowly circle the area, searching for his prize. His hand nervously rested on his weapon. But this proved to be fruitless. The man could find no sign of the legendary feline even being here. Then it dawned on him.  
  
"She lied to me!" he half yelled, half whispered.  
  
Back at his mansion.....  
  
Tasha raised her head and gave a weak smile. Suicune would be safe, for now, she thought. Tasha could only hope that the aurora pokemon had moved from its original location before the man tortured that information out of her.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"You lied!" the man accused as he stormed into the room with Tasha, throwing the door open in the process.  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about," she replied, refusing to meet him in the eye.  
  
"LIAR! Didn't your mother ever tell you it isn't right to lie," he accused.  
  
"My mom is dead!" Tasha yelled back. This momentarily stunned the collector, making him forget a portion of his rage. "And how dare you accuse me of doing something wrong! Everything you do is evil!"  
  
"Let's try this again. WHERE IS SUICUNE?!" he yelled, raising his tazer.  
  
"I don't know," she answered, but he wasn't convinced.  
  
"My dear if you continue to lie I will have to do much worse things," he threatened. He brought the tazer down on Tasha's already hurt back.  
  
(Sharp fade to black.)  
  
"If she is lying this time I will not give her the chance to lie again," muttered the collector, still mad. But he had been able to get another place name from the girl. "Mount Moon.....maybe there is something rarer there than Clefairies...." Since his supplies were still ready the man was gone the next morning, at dawn's first light.  
  
"Please, be gone Suicune," prayed Tasha as she heard the helicopter leave, "I am sorry....." She fainted again.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Professor Hale, have you seen Tasha?" asked her dad, back in Egypt.  
  
"No, I haven't," he replied, looking up from his work. "How long has she been missing?"  
  
"Over a day now," he replied, "I have looked all over for her. I hope she isn't lost in the ruins."  
  
"This could be serious," responded Prof. Hale, remembering his incident with the Unown. "We should start searching the immediately."  
  
"Professor," called Dr. Hemlock, "Come here." The lady archaeologist had just entered the room and was carrying something. "Is this your daughter's pokemon?"  
  
"Oddish!" he exclaimed, "Yes. What happened? Where did you find her?"  
  
"Slow down," replied Dr. Hemlock, "I found the pokemon in the room with the legendary carvings. Oddish was knocked out. I also found these." She held up a scrap of cloth and a broken flashlight.  
  
"What happened?" asked Tasha's father.  
  
"I don't know, I can only guess," she replied, "It looks like there might have been a struggle, and the cloth is soaked in chloroform."  
  
"What happened to my little girl?" the archaeologists cried in despair.  
  
"This couldn't have been the Unown," commented Prof. Hale.  
  
"No, I think we had a visitor," agreed Dr. Hemlock. "Whoever probably came through the new passage we found. It isn't entirely safe, so that person is probably insane."  
  
"And what about Tasha?" asked her dad again.  
  
"This is the only one we have who can answer that question," replied Dr. Hemlock as she gestured to Oddish. "Good luck. I am going to report this to security. I'll be right back." She left.  
  
"Oddish, what happened?" asked Tasha's father. The pokemon was just now waking up.  
  
"Oddd-iissh!" she exclaimed when she saw where she was, "Oh-Od-dishh."  
  
"What happened?" he asked again.  
  
"O-oh-dish. Dish-odd. Diiis," answered the pokemon.  
  
"I don't think this going to help," commented Prof. Hale.  
  
"Tasha said she could understand her pokemon. I wish that people really could understand them. Then I could get my child back," thought the archaeologist, "Why didn't I listen to her? She knew there was something wrong with the ruins. I should have listened to her more, that way I might have some clue now as to what happened. Tasha, please be all right."  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Mount Moon proved to be an ideal spot for the collector and his traps. Though it was traveled, he was confident no one would interfere. Although things are seldom as they seem. The mountain proved to be too ideal. There was too much space where Suicune may be and too many places for him to set traps. After some consideration the man put his tracking skills to use and decided to find evidence of Suicune before setting up, a lesson he learned from his passed experience.  
  
The mountain proved to be very steep and hiking was difficult. He searched the better part of the day without seeing anything out of the ordinary. The collector was beginning to plan suffering for his prisoner if this was another lie when he found a smeared footprint.  
  
The footprint was to blurry to be definite, but the man was not able to recognize it. It was definitely made by a mammal, but from there it was indeterminable. Still, the man followed this hunch and altered his course so he would be following it. The print appeared to be three days old.  
  
He followed the footprint down the northern side of Mount Moon. Knowing that his target had a few days advantage on him did not make him stop, however. His ambition drove him on.  
  
Soon he was following the scanty trail through a forest that was dense with thorn bushes. These soon gave way to a shallow incline. Then the thick trees gave way to thin, stunned bushes. Knowing his geography the man knew he was climbing Mount Crescent, which was next to Mount Moon.  
  
The collector was beginning to wonder if he should continue chasing this shadow trail when a clear, fresh path caught his eye. He crouched down and examined it. There was no doubt about it. This trail had been made within the past day, and it was created my a pokemon whose footprints had never been recorder.  
  
His spirits raised, the collector continued at a much faster pace. He cleared the top of the mountain and suddenly realized his target's goal. Mount Crescent opened to reveal a beautiful natural reservoir.  
  
"Of course! If the legends are true Suicune would be attracted to any naturally pure water like this," he thought, "I have found the perfect spot, now for the trap."  
  
He pulled out the remote for his helicopter and put it on auto-pilot. The helicopter flew towards the man. Then the collector quickly reburied the electric rods he had planted at Mount Silver. He planted them at the east shore, thinking that Suicune was most likely to appear there. Then he double checked his weapons; the tazers, his multi-purpose bazooka, and the spare cartridges. By that time his helicopter had landed on the west shore, partially hidden by the sparse foliage. He used the remote to program the helicopter to be prepared to fire electric charges on his signal. Then the waiting began.  
  
It was very late in the day. The sun had already set. Knowing how certain pokemon were active during different times of the day, he decided to wait. It gradually grew later and got colder. Still, he sat there patiently, waiting for his quarry. Eventually he dozed off, setting his helicopter to scan for anything unusual.  
  
The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon when the man stirred. When he opened his eyes his breath was caught in his throat. Suicune was standing on the bank of the reservoir, not fifty feet from where he was hiding. Suicune lowered its head, the crystal charm on its forehead glowing. It then bent and drank, the whole reservoir sparkling from its power.  
  
"How beautiful," he thought, standing and preparing his weapons, "And soon it will be mine." He raised his weapon and fired at the unsuspecting pokemon.  
  
"SUUIIIII!!!!" it cried as the air around it crackled with an intense electric over-surge. It dived backwards, quickly looking for the threat. Suicune found the threat all right. It launched a Water Gun at the man before preparing to flee.  
  
The man dodged the attack and responded with one of his own. The area was blinded from his electric pulse.  
  
"CCCUUUUEEE!!!" cried the pokemon in pain as the attack found its mark. Suicune struggled back on it feet and continued to flee.  
  
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! The rods began to do their job. Anytime Suicune put weight on one an searing electric pulse surged through its body. Seeing that his prey was slowed down the man launched another assault.  
  
"CCCUUUEEE!!!!" cried Suicune again. It attacked, but not its attacker. Suicune covered the ground with an Ice Beam. The electric producing rods shattered in the sudden temperature change.  
  
"SSHHAAAAZZAAAAPPP!!!" the man fired again while this happened. But Suicune, free of its electrical tormentors, was able to dodge this.  
  
"SSUUIII!" it cried and faced the man, standing on the slick ice it had created. The defiance in its face was obvious. It fired another Water Gun. The man tried to dodge again, but slid on the ice. He got completely drenched.  
  
Suicune then prepared to retreat again. It dug its long claws into the ice and turned.  
  
"No!" cried the man as he fired wildly. The ice cracked under the voltage. Both fighters felt that shock, the man because the water that drenched him conducted electricity and Suicune because it was hit directly.  
  
Suicune spun, in an attempt to dodge the high voltage that was surrounding it. When it saw its attacker again it launched a powerful Hydro Pump. The man was pinned against a nearby tree by the sheer force of the water.  
  
"Argh!" he cried, more in frustration than pain. Instinctively he raised his weapon as a barrier between him and the pounding water attack by Suicune. Suicune soon let up, but the man could tell by the look in its eyes that it was not done. Before Suicune could attack again the man fired his electric pulse at the pokemon. It was more painful for him this time, because the water from Suicune's last attack redirected it back his way.  
  
Still, Suicune felt a shock and prepared to counter. Suicune fired another Ice Beam, this one at the collector. He tried to dodge, but still struggled to maintain his balance on the slippery terrain Suicune had created. The attack hit its target. The water which was still clinging to him froze instantly. The shock of the cold forced the man to drop his weapon. This shattered into a hundred piece.  
  
Still not giving up the man drew his tazer with half numb hands and cracked it towards his prey. Suicune turned towards the reservoir and broke into a run. Thinking his target would be cornered between him and the bank the man quickly followed. Much to his dismay however, Suicune did not stop at the water's edge. It continued to run, right on the water! This sent a wake of water behind it, much like a speedboat. The droplets caught the rising sun for a breath-taking scene.  
  
"How magnificent, how beautiful," muttered the man, his desire to own the aurora pokemon growing. "I didn't even know it could do that."  
  
Suicune had almost reached the opposite shore, and freedom. The man saw his prize getting smaller and smaller as it got further and further away.  
  
"CCUUUUNNNNEEEEE!!!!!" cried Suicune, in sheer agony. The man had pulled out the remote and ordered the helicopter to attack. The entire reservoir turned into a giant electric conductor. The pokemon who lived there felt it too. Beneath its surface Magikarp, Wooper, Poliwag, and Marill reeled in pain. Suicune collapsed, because the voltage did not stop.  
  
It was still pretty far out, but the reservoir was shallow, so Suicune was still above water. The man quickly jogged around, to claim his prize. He waded out to the water type. Suicune was breathing hard. He reached out a hand to touch it when the pokemon came to life. It used Bite and the man pulled back suddenly, his hand and forearm bleeding.  
  
"I'll teach you some respect," he snarled at Suicune, who was on its feet, but swaying badly. This pokemon refused to give up. The man activated his tazer and brought it across the pokemon's back and shoulder, ignoring the pain he felt.  
  
"CCUUUEE!!!" it cried, convulsing with each new pulse. Finally it collapsed back into the water. Not wanting to take any more chances, the collector pulled out a tranquilizer gun and fired it twice, once into Suicune's chest, once into the back. Suicune twitched when it was hit, then went still. The man reached for the remote to have his helicopter bring out the crane, only to find that the remote had shorted out.  
  
He walked back to his helicopter, and manually lowered Suicune into the cargo area. Suicune stirred once, then went limp again. Once it was secured the man finally removed the darts. Then he set his helicopter on auto-pilot for his home. The collector then treated his injuries.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"We have a little luck," said Dr. Hemlock, "Although a security cameras are little use at night, we do have an image."  
  
"Show it to me," ordered Tasha's dad. A clip was run. It was quiet, but then a shadow figure walked across the screen. It was to dark to make out any more than his feet, which were illuminated by his flashlight. The time read 11:34 at night.  
  
"We have no other footage because he didn't use the flashlight on his way out," commented Dr. Hemlock.  
  
"But what happened to Tasha?" her father asked.  
  
"We can only guess," replied Prof. Hale. Everyone present looked grim. "I think it is time you contacted the authorities."  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," was all Tasha could say as she sat with her arms still shackled. She was only partially aware of what she was doing and where she was at. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."  
  
************************************************************************** 


	9. The Third Feline

It was much later when Tasha came around. She raised her head and felt pain shooting through her back. She knew what had happened. Her only hope was that Suicune had succeeded where she had failed. Tasha looked around the room. This caught the collector's eye and he approached her. Tasha lowered her head, which caused blood to rush to it, making her headache worse.  
  
"You are awake, good," he said as he approached. Tasha refused to look him in the eye. "Are you going to insist in being stubborn? I only need one more piece to complete the set. You can give me the information I need, and I won't have to hurt you." Tasha gasped. Suicune was caught too. Fresh tears emerged from her eyes.  
  
"No, I will not....I can't" Tasha stuttered, "This is wrong!"  
  
"Your warped sense of pity and self-righteousness doesn't impress me," the man said, his voice low, "Tell me where Raikou is or I will find out my way." Tasha paled but said nothing.  
  
"You have chosen by your silence," the man said and he began to uncoil his tazer. Tasha was shaking. He raised it over his head and was about to strike.  
  
"Minava Jungle!" Tasha exclaimed before he could hurt her. She collapsed then, sobbing.  
  
"See, it doesn't have to be the hard way all the time," said the collector as he put his weapon away. He turned and walked out, leaving Tasha to her guilt.  
  
She had never felt so bad in her entire life. She had traded her comfort for the freedom of a legendary. She cried bitterly over that, until she fell asleep. Meanwhile, the collector was making new plans.  
  
"Curse Suicune," he grumbled as he examined the remains of his shattered bazooka. His primary weapon was useless now. "And I can't use my tazer because Raikou is an electric type." He seemed to have very little options.  
  
"Computer, print out a geographic map of the Minava Jungle," he ordered After carefully examining this he had a vague plan forming. He knew that most of his traditional methods would fail, but he was determined to find away. The collector was against using sleep inducing methods, because half of the fun of collecting came from the hunt.  
  
The next day he refined his plans and gathered his supplies. He left at the setting of the sun, knowing that Minava Jungle was a far way off. It was on the other side of Johto, just west of Olivine City.  
  
He landed his helicopter out of view of curious travelers who may stumble across it and made his way into the forest. It was hard to travel through the dense underbrush and the plant life blocked the sky. All in all it was very unfavorable terrain for a battle.  
  
The collector knew what he was looking for; tracks, a water hole, or anything out of the ordinary. He examined the ground, but it was too hard for footprints to be left. He also remembered the print out map he had, and there was several streams. Any of which Raikou could be at. That was, assuming Tasha hadn't lied this time. He gritted his teeth and pressed on.  
  
After several hours of walking he noticed the jungle sounds had stopped. The man, too froze, his sense on overdrive. He looked around, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He did not move for several minutes, but nothing happened. The wildlife sounds did not return.  
  
"This could be it," he thought. Acting on his hunch, the man began to set up his next trap. He looked around and chose the highest, sturdiest tree in the area. He took off his travel pack, and out of it pulled several incredibly long black coils. He threw these into the tree branches and let them dangle, like half dead grapevines.  
  
After that he prepared the weapons he would be using. Both strongly resembled handguns. To the first he attached a long canister. The second he clipped onto his belt. Then the waiting began.  
  
He decided to climb at tree and wait, which would give him an aerial view. From there, he also hoped to have an advantage on Raikou this way. The whole area was still strangely quiet. He sat back and waited as the sun set. He knew he might have a long wait.  
  
That turned out to be true. Nothing happened the entire night, and he had dozed off a few times. It had gotten chilly in the jungle and the man shifted to keep his limbs awake. The shadows played tricks on his eyes and several times he had thought that he had seen something that was not there.  
  
At last morning broke. In the early dawn's rays the collector finally saw what he had desired, Raikou. The legendary thunder pokemon was walking silently through the jungle, without fear. Its yellow and black striped back added to the unusual mix of early morning light. The man silently shifted, than prepared to attack. Raikou froze, sniffing the wind. The collector froze. The entire area was still for what seemed like an eternity until Raikou continued its approach. The man aimed and fired.  
  
"BOOM!" The first gun, the one with the canister, fired. A haze of flames shot forward, lighting the leaves. Raikou jerked in surprise, but showed no fear. It began to look around for the threat.  
  
"BOOM!" the man fired again. Part of the attack hit the target, but Raikou hardly felt it. Raikou had spotted the enemy. The attacks were flares, more for show than anything.  
  
"EEEAAARRRGGG!" bellowed Raikou as it used Thunder. The jungle was filled with a blinding light. The tree the man was hiding in exploded and he hit the ground hard. The collector quickly got up and fired again, despite his injuries.  
  
"BOOM!"  
  
"RREEEAARRR!" cried Raikou as it charged. It attempted to use Crunch, but its charge was blocked by a sapling. Raikou turned and prepared to use Spark, its entire body glowing with electric light.  
  
Seeing this the man quickly pulled out his second weapon. Aiming it straight into the air he activated it. The whole jungle was filled with an ultrasonic blast. The remaining wild pokemon quickly fled, leaving the two contestants to finish there fight alone.  
  
Raikou, with its cat like hearing, bellowed in pain as the noise persisted. The man, however, was not effected. He had planned ahead and was wearing ear plugs. Raikou used Thunder Shock in an attempt to stop the collector. The attack missed and Raikou prepared to flee.  
  
"No you don't," the man muttered as he aimed with his first weapon. "BOOM!" He fired. The attack missed the legendary, but hit the surrounding brush It ignited, cutting off Raikou's escape route.  
  
But in doing this the collector easied off of the ultrasonic device. Raikou retalitaed with Zap Cannon and the collector was blinded. The attack missed for the most part, but his left leg was hit. He could feel it seize up, paralized.  
  
"HHEEERRAA!" cried Raikou as it charged its tormentor. Raikou was ready to use Crunch again. The man saw this and quickly aimed the flare gun. Click! It was out of ammo. In a desperate manuveur the man dove to the side and turned the ultrasonic weapon back on.  
  
Raikou was about three feet from the weapon when it was activated. It cried out in the excrusating pain.  
  
"YYYAAAEERRR!" it bellowed. Raikou had now decided this fight was over. It turned again to flee.  
  
"No you don't!" said the man leaping to his feet. But his left leg was still paralyzed and he fell again. He quickly reloaded his flare gun and hoped that Raikou was still in range. He raised the weapon and fired. "BOOM!" The intense heat veered Raikou closer to the river bank. The brush was still smoldering, and in some places fires were raging.  
  
Raikou coiled its haunches and jumped onto a nearby tree branch. It then turned and faced the collector, knowing it was safe from his weapons and summoned its strength for a powerful Thunder.  
  
"KA-BOOM!" teh intensity of the electicity smoothered the fires, broke braces and destroyed trees. The collector ducked, covering his head with his hands. He looked up as soon as the after glow died. Raikou was standing defiantly above him, perfectly balanced on a tree branch. The man's greed grew.  
  
"You are mine!" he cried and fired again. Raikou turned and jumped from branch to branch, landing deftly on the ground fifty feet away from the original branch. It looked back, as if daring the collector to keep up. Raikou than turned and fled.  
  
But it was not quick enough. The man had his remote in his hand and had activate the dormant black coils that were hanging from the tree. They came to life like a hundred snakes, grabbing anything that moved. Several branches waving in the wind were ensnared, but so was Raikou. The first wire grabbed the thunder pokemon's left hind leg and tripped it. In an instant the other wires were on top of it, binding Raikou in a near death grip.  
  
Raikou struggled and launched several electric attacks, but with no effect. The wires were immune to electricity. Immediately seeing that it wasn't working Raikou began to use Bite. The wires proved to be extremely resilient to this, but eventually Raikou gnawed through a few of them. But more wires bound its head and its legs were hopelessly tangled.  
  
"It is over," gloated the man as he approached, "You are mine."  
  
"HEEAARR!" cried Raikou, still struggling.  
  
"You don't think so," he continued to taunt, "I will prove you wrong." He turned a knob on his remote control and the wires tightened.  
  
"EEAAARRR!" cried Raikou in pain. Its breathing became short, as its trachea was cut off. Raikou was slowly being choked. It continued to struggle, despite this. Eventually it was doing no more than twitching. Then its body went limp.  
  
The collector called off his machine and Raikou fell to the ground, unconscious. He then radioed his helicopter and loaded the thunder pokemon into the cargo bay. After injecting it with a few tranquilizers the man flew home.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Is that all you know?" asked Officer Jenny as she finished questioning Tasha's father.  
  
"Yes," he replied. His appearance had changed a lot in the past few days. There were bags under his eyes, and his hair was messy. His posture was slumped and he never responded as quickly.  
  
"Are you sure she is not lost in the ruins?" asked Officer Jenny, eyeing Prof. Hale.  
  
"Yes, for the last time," he answered.  
  
"We'll do our best," she said before turning and leaving.  
  
"No they won't," muttered Prof. Hale. "She doesn't believe us."  
  
"Do you think the Unown have her?" asked Tasha's father, exhausted.  
  
"I don't think so," replied Prof. Hale. "This is something far worse." He didn't say the second part out loud, but he knew that it was something horrible that the girl was gone.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	10. Goldenrod City

"A rare pokemon in the metropolitan jungle? Now what?" thought the collector has he walked through the streets of Goldenrod City. "She had better not be lying to me..... Why would a rare pokemon be here, unless, maybe it is already someone's? That does not matter, I will make it mine."  
  
The collector had just gotten a new location out of Tasha. She claimed that a rare pokemon, the likes of which have never been seen, was living right in this concrete jungle. He could not tell if she was telling the truth or not. She seemed honest, but why would a pokemon voluntarily live so close to people? Unless, of course it was already caught. But then, a pokemon like that would have been reported. The man could find no information in the Goldenrod City's Pokemon Center's computer system. The Pokemon Center was where he was heading.  
  
Knowing that he was most likely to find the information he needed there, the collector made bee-line for the Center. Nurse Joy would know everything about any pokemon in the city, plus the trainers would be there to gossip. He was confident he would soon have another addition to his collection.  
  
He entered, keeping his identity secret. Several trainers were milling around, most waiting for their pokemon to come back for physicals. He approached Joy and started a casual conversation, which he eventually led to the topic of rare pokemon.  
  
"Are there any really rare pokemon in the city?" he asked.  
  
"I am not aloud to disclose that kind of information," replied Nurse Joy, eyeing him suspiciously. "I am sorry, I need to get back to my work." She walked away.  
  
The collector went to a corner and pretended to read a magazine, but he was really listening to the trainers' conversations. He quickly grew frustrated though, because they talked of nothing that was of value to him. The collector noticed it was getting late. He quickly made up his mind to stay the night and see what information he could gather.  
  
Slowly a steady stream of trainers came to spend the night at the Center. They were mostly young kids, not much different than Tasha, actually. The trainers were still too excited to call it a day, so they gathered in small groups and exchanged stories. The collector began to focus on various groups, hoping to hear something. His ear caught a conversation between two guys and two girls.  
  
"No serious!" insisted the first boy, "It was last night. I was out, alone, when about twenty rockets jumped me!"  
  
"A second ago it was only ten," chuckled one of the girl.  
  
"That isn't the point!" exclaimed the first speaker. "I mean, just when I thought I was done for the rockets dropped over, unconscious!"  
  
"You are making this up," accused the other boy.  
  
"Am not!" the first boy, "I looked up and I saw this white streak flying away. It was amazing!"  
  
"Are you saying you were saved by an angel?" asked the girl.  
  
"But it didn't have wings," commented the first.  
  
"That reminds me of something I've heard," commented the last girl, "It is sort of like a local urban legend."  
  
"What?" asked the other three.  
  
"I'm not sure of the details, but the story goes," the girl explained, "After the rockets tried to take over the Radio Tower a mysterious guardian moved in. It is some kind of pokemon that only appears at night. It roams the streets, without fear, and helps those in need. It seems to be especially against Team Rocket. Those who have seen it have only seen glimpse, like a flash of white, or a strange blue light."  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed the other girl.  
  
"You are making this up," accused the other boy.  
  
The collector did not stick around to hear the end of the conversation. He slipped out of the door and began to make plans. He silently retraced his steps back to his helicopter.  
  
"Computer, analyze a strategy to catch a pokemon. Limits; nocturnal, flies, unknown power and skill, plus the possibility of human witnesses....." he ordered as he began to dig through his supplies.  
  
"Analyzing, please wait...." the computer replied.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"You need to get some sleep," Prof. Hale urged his fellow scientist.  
  
"I can't sleep, not until I know Tasha is safe," her father replied. Oddish had the same depressed look on her face.  
  
"You can't help her by worrying," remarked Prof. Hale.  
  
"How did you deal with being trapped by the Unown?" asked Tasha's father.  
  
"I am not exactly sure......." he replied, "Nothing made sense in that case."  
  
"Nothing makes sense in this case," muttered Tasha's dad.  
  
"Come on," encouraged Prof. Hale, "Do your daughter a favor and get some sleep." Prof. Hale escorted the tired archeologist back to his tent.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"That's it!" exclaimed the collector as he heard the computer's strategy. "That is the best you've got! I'd be better off winging it!" The collector gathered his assortment of equipment and left. He had his supersonic projector, a smaller version of the ruined bazooka, with a variety of different ammunition, several nets that he could easily activate, and the same stringy glue he had used on Zapdos.  
  
He walked towards the worst part of the city. If the information was true, the 'mysterious guardian of the city' would head there. He was far from alone on the streets. Several drug dealers were still out, as well as a handful of rockets plotting in the shadows. The collector was too preoccupied to notice them, though. He quickly made his way across the city.  
  
By taking the quickest route he was soon at the divider between the ghetto and the penthouses; the local park. It was quite large, actually, but not Central Park size. He sped-walked through the trees and strange shadows, eager to meet his next challenge. A sharp cry caught his ear. He turned his head and silently approached the sound.  
  
The source turned out to be an injured Raticate. Several members of Team Rocket had surrounded it and they were throwing stones. The Raticate cried out as it was hit, then it collapsed. The rocket grunts did not stop, though.  
  
"Not my problem," thought the collector as he turned to leave. But then the whole area strangely started to glow blue. The collector ducked behind the bushes and instinctively gripped his weapon.  
  
The rocket agents noticed the light and began to look around. Then they began to glow, stronger than the area around them. They collapsed. The light grew stronger and they disappeared, Teleported somewhere. The collector gasped.  
  
The night returned. But then a white figure landed on the grass, bending down to the injured Raticate. It glowed with pale blue light and the rat pokemon stood up, now healed. The light highlighted the pokemon's features. It had a sharp, angular head and a too thin neck. From the back of its head to the middle of its shoulders was a 'second neck.' It was well over six feet tall, standing on its two feline-like feet, on the toes. Its long tail was deep violet in color, while the rest of its body was completely white. It raised a paw and the collector could see its three 'knobs', which were some kind of awkward fingers.  
  
"This is it!" thought the collector as he aimed his weapon at the unsuspecting pokemon's back. He fired. The pokemon, sensing something was wrong quickly reacted. It turned and stopped the electrical attack with a glowing blue paw. The energy hovered in the air a minute, then was sent right back at the collector! He barely had time to dodge it, leaving the safety of the shadows. The Raticate fled.  
  
The collector stood up and faced the pokemon. The pokemon's eyes were glowing, and it was angry. The collector could see the intelligence in its face. He knew that this pokemon was smart, and strong. He realized that he may just lose. The collector raised his weapon again and prepared to fire.  
  
He didn't even get a chance to attack. The pokemon struck first and the last thing the collector remembered was a bright flash of light.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Tasha, please....NO!" cried Tasha's father in his sleep. He was having nightmares about his daughter. He woke up, fearful of what he had seen.  
  
"Please just bring my daughter back, please," he began to pray.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"What happened?" muttered the collector as he woke up with a headache. The visions of the night came back. He had lost, and one pokemon still eluded him.  
  
"It does not matter," he told himself, "Soon they will all be mine." He began to look around. He was outside of town, about a mile from his helicopter. The man gathered his bag with his weapons, only to find them destroyed.  
  
"Curses!" he exclaimed, "Count your victory temporary. I will win." He gathered himself and returned to his helicopter. He set the auto-pilot to his home, stewing all the way.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"So, another who wishes to posses me," the pokemon thought, watching him from a distance. "I knew I would be taking a risk by living here...... But there is something about him that doesn't seem right. He is no threat to me, unless he tells others. But I can easily erase his memories. Still, there is something that doesn't seem right. And I will figure out what." The pokemon left its post and began to track the helicopter, keeping out of sight of everyone with the help of its shield.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	11. Escaped

Instead of his rage cooling on the long trip home, the collector's anger grew. He was furious that he had been beaten and that one pokemon still walked free. He also knew that he probably would not find that pokemon there any more, unless it was already owned. It had probably left Goldenrod.  
  
"It does not matter. I will find them ALL and make them mine!" he steamed, landing his helicopter on the roof of his rather large mansion. He entered his house at a slow simmer.  
  
Still ready for action the man decided not to wait to go after his next pokemon, he would make plans that night. The collector felt much better after walking through his viewing hall and gazing at all of his prizes. Zapdos and Moltres were listless. Articuno was still struggling in the too warm environment. Entei did not stop pacing, back and forth, back and forth. Suicune was sleeping, but there was a look of depression on its face, if anyone knew how to read a pokemon's face. Raikou was suffering the most. It found it hard to eat or drink because of the injuries to its throat. It was also suffering from being cooped up and was beginning to show signs of losing weight. The legendaries had hardly touched any food, causing small, slow decreases in their health. The birds with their high metabolisms were most effect by this refusal.  
  
The collector returned to his library. He was further inspired by the legendary pictures he had there.  
  
"Who should it be?" he asked himself, "The beast of the sea Lugia? No, I need to prepare a larger enclosure for that one. The rainbow bird Ho-Oh? That one is a true beauty. The mysterious guardian of Goldenrod? No, it will be mine soon enough. Maybe Celebi, the protector of the forest? Or Mew, the rarest of all?"  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
The pokemon landed silently on the roof of the mansion, looking around to see if it had been spotted. No one had seen it. Good, the pokemon need its secrecy. Using its psychic powers it quickly located the collector, who was talking to himself. The pokemon listened to his conversation, disgusted by what he heard.  
  
"Pokemon are just objects to him, no better than the rocks that humans value," thought the pokemon, sickened, "I used to be viewed as a weapon, and now there is one who sees me as a prize to possess. That will not happen."  
  
Still feeling that there was more than what there appeared to be the pokemon Teleported inside, neutralizing the security cameras as it went. He began to pick up mental readings, not only from the collector, but from many pokemon as well. It quickly assessed that the pokemon were prisoners here. The pokemon also noticed several pokemon minds that it had never contacted before. It curbed its curiosity and focused on the collector, who was the next floor up.  
  
The collector was moving. The pokemon followed him with its mind. The collector was approaching another. This mind was so fragmented he could barely tell it was human. The pokemon went up to the next floor to find out what was going on.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
The collector entered the room where he was keeping Tasha. She shuddered and looked away. Tasha was overcome with guilt every time she saw him. His presence reminded her of her betrayal to the legendaries.  
  
"You fail to understand," he said. "Tell me what I need to know and you don't get hurt."  
  
"I can't! I won't!" she yelled, surprised she still had the courage to defy him.  
  
"You will, you know the consequences," he hand reached for the tazer as Tasha paled.  
  
. .. ... .... ..... ...... ....... ........ ......... .......... ........... ............  
  
The pokemon stopped outside of the slightly cracked door, listening and watching the scene inside. It had heard the threats made, but was not sure what information the man wanted. It also heard a young girl's voice, fearful.  
  
The pokemon could not see the girl, his view was blocked by the man. It saw him reach for the tazer on his belt and knew the danger. The collector stepped away, leaving the pokemon with a clear view of the prisoner.  
  
She was slumped over and looked liked she wanted to collapse. She dangled from two manacles that were attached to her wrists from three feet poles. Her face was sheet white, and her mind was in a panic. He couldn't make out many details of her face because her stringy black hair was covering a better part of it. Then the pokemon saw her back. It was bleeding in one place, the shirt practically covered in blood. Most of it was dried and looked old, but the wounds beneath it were still fresh. The pokemon could tell she had been beaten several times, probably by the weapon the man now carried. It focused back on their conversation, determined to put an end to this.  
  
"I keep my policy," the man was saying, "I only ask once. Now, this time, tell me where Mew is?"  
  
"He's after Mew?" thought the pokemon, its dangerous temper threatening to flare.  
  
"I don't know," she answered, "I never read that panel. I don't know."  
  
"I am not in the mood for your lies," the man snarled, his grip on his dangerous weapon tightening. "The last one got away. I will not tolerate anything."  
  
"The pokemon got away?" asked Tasha, for the first time, she had hope.  
  
"How did she know about me? And what panel are they talking about?" wondered the pokemon.  
  
"But not for long," growled the collector, "I will make them all mine. The rarest will complete my collect. Now, where is Mew?"  
  
"I don't know," insisted Tasha, "I never read that panel. I don't know where that pokemon is."  
  
"You lie!" he yelled, "You have read every panel in the Ruins of Alph! If you will not ell me, I will get the information my way!" He stepped behind her.  
  
"The Ruins of Alph?" the pokemon asked itself, "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"I don't know," whimpered the girl, as she braced herself for the inevitable.  
  
"Then this is your choice," he said as he turned on the tazer which made a slight buzzing sound. Tasha drew herself into a tighter ball, consumed by fear.  
  
The man raised the tazer but the watching pokemon acted first. With a wave of its tri-fingered paw it released its glowing blue psychic power. The tazer froze in mid-air. A brief look of shock passed across the collector's face before he was thrown into the wall, unconscious.  
  
Tasha heard the thud, and after she wasn't zapped, she risked opening her eyes. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw the collector sprawled on the floor, completely knocked-out.  
  
"Now what?" wonder the pokemon as it thought through the wisdom of its next course of action. It entered the room.  
  
Tasha heard a slight noise made by something approaching her. She risked raising her eyes and was shocked by what she saw. In front of her was a strange, feline like pokemon. It was white as snow, with a violet tail and eyes. It stood over six and a half feet tall, which was quite intimidating for Tasha in her crouched position.  
  
The pokemon looked back at her. Tasha vaguely recognized the pokemon from the Ruins, but she collapsed from shock before she could put two and two together.  
  
"Now what?" wondered the pokemon. While it knew a lot about pokemon anatomy, physiology, and medicine, it knowledge was some what limited when it came to humans. The pokemon knew the human child was in danger here, and need medical attention. Using its psychic powers, it forced some of her wounds closed and stopped the bleeding. It then eased Tasha out of the manacles and left her laying on the ground, promising to come back.  
  
Knowing that both humans would be unconscious for a while the pokemon decided to use this time to search the building. The pokemon did not bother with the living quarters, but went straight to the area where it detected the other pokemon minds.  
  
The pokemon was shocked by the number of rare pokemon it found. There was a Dragonite, a Clefable, a Porygon2 and even a Tyranitar. They all seemed fairly fearful as the pokemon passed and it knew that they were not treated right here. The pokemon used Teleport and sent them free outside, knowing they should be able to take care of themselves from there. It continued until it reached the hall with the pokemon minds it was not familiar with.  
  
The psychic pokemon entered and was appalled by what it saw. Six of the legendary pokemon, caged like criminals. All bore wounds of a hard battle that had not been treated. The pokemon knew that they at least need a good meal and a good nights rest to even come close to full health.  
  
Think of health made the pokemon think of the injured girl in the other room. Thinking of them injured reminded it of the healing waters of Mt.Cana, the place it used to call home. It had been invaded an no longer proved to be safe, but the spring was still there, under the mountain where the pokemon had moved it. The waters there would be perfect for all of the injured.  
  
The psychic pokemon quickly summoned its strength and Teleported itself, the six legendaries, and the girl to the hidden cavern beneath Mt.Cana for treatment.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	12. Mt Cana

AN/ FF.N seems to be determined to make my life miserable. It is now deleting anything inside , if those even show up. So I had to change the telepathic communication symbol to {Talk}, which really bothers me. Grrrrrrrrr. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (  
  
When Tasha woke up later she realized she was laying face down on a soft bed of grass. Her back throbbed, but it wasn't hurting as much as before. She slowly scanned the her surroundings, still a little out of it. The walls were stone, but everything else was as beautiful as a garden. Several small, tranquil pools of crystal clear water dotted the large cavern she was in, which was filled with small trees and flowers.  
  
"What happened?" she wondered, "Did I die?" Feeling better than she had in a long time, Tasha struggled to her feet. She gingerly rubbed her wrists, which were still black and blue from the manacles. She did a slow circle, taking in more of her surroundings.  
  
Tasha gasped. Behind her Entei was asleep under one of the small trees. She also saw Raikou, who was drinking from one of the many pools.  
  
"What happened?" she asked herself.  
  
{I brought you here,} a voice said from somewhere nearby. Actually, "said" isn't the right word, since Tasha only heard the voice in her mind.  
  
"What?" she asked. Then the speaker appeared. Tasha's eyes went wide. She remembered seeing his form for a brief second before she fainted, but now she actually had a good look at the strange new pokemon. He was over a foot taller than she was, and had the most intense violet eyes she had ever seen. His head was angular, with two very pointy ears. He had two necks and three nubs on each paw. He was completely white, except for his tail, which was violet. He stood upright, balanced on his toes.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, mostly in wonder. She remembered the panel about him in Alph, he was the on who lived in Goldenrod City. But he was the only one not named in Alph.  
  
{I am Mewtwo,} he replied telepathically.  
  
"I'm Tasha," Tasha replied, it seemed like the right thing to say. "Thanks for helping me. But what is this place?"  
  
{This is a hidden cavern beneath Mt.Cana, where I moved the spring and the lake,} the pokemon replied.  
  
"We are under Mt.Cana?" asked Tasha, eyeing the ceiling suspiciously.  
  
{Yes, watch,} said Mewtwo. His eyes glowed with an intense blue light and he Teleported himself and the girl to the surface.  
  
"What? Wow!" exclaimed Tasha as she looked around. It hurt her still healing back to move to quickly, but it was breath-taking on top of the mountain. The cool mountain air blew her hair around. The sky was gorgeous, because the sun was just peeking over the horizon. The small island they were on had its own wild beauty. Beyond it was the dried out crater where the lake had used to be. Many plants were already growing in it.  
  
Tasha looked above her, and saw the legendary birds doing slow circles in the sky. They were simply happy to be able to stretch their cramped wings.  
  
{I know, it is beautiful,} Mewtwo voiced their thoughts.  
  
"But why did you bring us here?" asked Tasha. The pokemon turned his intense violet eyes on her, making her shift uncomfortably.  
  
{The spring here has amazing healing capabilities,} Mewtwo explained, {That is something all of you needed. I also have some questions that only you may be able to answer.}  
  
"What? But how did you even know where to find us? And why did you even bother to help?" asked Tasha.  
  
{I followed the man who was holding you prisoner back to his house,} he explained, {Something with him seemed out of place, and now I am glad that I decided to follow him.}  
  
"How did you escape him? I mean, none of the others could," asked Tasha as the wind began to pick up.  
  
{He underestimated me,} replied Mewtwo, his eyes smiling. {And now I have some questions, which I hope you are able to answer.} A huge zephyr came and nearly knocked the girl off of her feet.  
  
"What?!" asked Tasha.  
  
{Not now,} the pokemon cautioned, {There is a storm coming. This place is not safe once it begins. I'll Teleport you below, but I have to warn the others.}  
  
"OK....." agreed Tasha, as her necklace whipped around her neck. Mewtwo's eyes began to glow and an instant later Tasha was back underground. He than flew off to warn Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres about the dangers of flying in this weather.  
  
Tasha looked around the cavern again, as she let her eyes adjust to the slightly dimmer lighting. Raikou had laid down and was watching the others in the cavern. Entei was pacing out of restlessness, back and forth, back and forth. Suicune had appeared, and was closely examining the spring.  
  
"If this water is as pure as Mewtwo said it was, it is no wonder that it interests Suicune," thought Tasha as she watched the aurora pokemon. "This is too bizarre. I mean.... how many people actually see a legendary pokemon, and here I am with seven! Not to mention I keep getting dragged all over the place. But I like this place better than the last." A large clap of thunder knocked Tasha out of her thoughts. The thunder was followed by a huge deluge of rain. It sound like billions of buckets of water were being poured over the roof of the cavern. Mewtwo and Moltres blew in with the first drops of rain.  
  
{It is foolishness to stay out in this weather,} grumbled Mewtwo.  
  
"They'll come in quick enough," replied Moltres, "They just have to prove they can take a little rain."  
  
{Around here it is never a little rain,} Mewtwo retorted.  
  
"That is why they will be in soon enough," replied Moltres, "Who wants to be out in the rain anyways."  
  
Tasha was more or less gaping at the bird of fire. Moltres was barely twenty feet away from her, closer than she had ever been to any legendary, save Mewtwo. Tasha was stunned at how beautiful Moltres looked, with its bright flame contrasting the shadows of the cavern. "How can anyone think of imprisoning something so beautiful?"  
  
"Why is there a human child here?" asked Moltres noticing Tasha.  
  
{She was a prisoner, like yourself, so I brought her here,} replied Mewtwo.  
  
"A prisoner?!" he squawked, "Since when do humans begin to catch their own kind?"  
  
"Because I knew something he wanted to know," replied Tasha, honestly, but a little embarrassed.  
  
{You can understand what Moltres just said?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
"Yes," replied Tasha, "I don't know how, but about two and a half weeks ago I woke up and was able to understand poke-speak." She got weird looks from both of the pokemon.  
  
{What did you know?} asked Mewtwo finally. There was a hesitant pause on Tasha's part. But she was saved from having to answer by Zapdos and Articuno flying in.  
  
"That was fun!" exclaimed Articuno as she landed. Frozen water droplets showered the ground.  
  
"I have never seen a worse storm," commented Zapdos, "Well, maybe one worse storm."  
  
Tasha was again shock to be so close to more legendaries. Articuno was more stunning than she ever imagined from looking at the panels in Alph. With her long, elegant tail and pale blue crest and plumage, Tasha was amazed. She never realized so many shades of blue existed, as were displayed in Articuno's feathers. Zapdos was just as magnificent, but in another way. Just by her vivid yellow feathers she seemed to glow. The black feathers in her tail, and the layer in her wings proved to be perfect for contrasting. The black plumes on her face gave her an almost sinister look, that was not necessarily her personality.  
  
"So you decided not to be storm riders?" snapped Moltres.  
  
"Back off fire breath, at least we can take a little rain," retorted Articuno.  
  
"Well, at least...." Moltres began to reply.  
  
{Now is not the time for your quarrels,} reminded Mewtwo as he walked away. "No wonder Lugia had to interfere," he thought. Tasha was still starring at them. She began to feel guilty for them being caught, even if she didn't betray these three specifically.  
  
"So how come you are here?" asked Articuno when she noticed Tasha.  
  
"Um.... I was brought here," she replied. "I can't believe I am actually having conversations with legendary pokemon," she thought.  
  
"So it appears that I was not alone with my troubles," said Entei as he walked over to where Tasha, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were standing. Tasha was surprised at how big he was, close up. Her head probably only came up to his shoulders. Tasha took a tiny step backwards because his silver, yellow, and red mask-like part of his face intimidated her. But she then remembered how gentle the ruins said his kind was and calmed herself down. His brownish red coat had lost some of its luster from his time in captivity, but still was glossy and smooth. Tasha also noticed the manacle like parts on his legs and remembered the manacles that were placed on her wrists. He had a white mane that flowed behind him like hair, which covered several hard silver, wing-like projections on his back.  
  
"That is a face I never thought I would see," commented Moltres, as he eyed the new legendary.  
  
"It appears we have a common enemy," observed Raikou as he also joined in on the conversation. "One who does not care who he hurts." Tasha shuddered. She knew this was true. Raikou had a mask-like face like Entei, but his was silver, blue, and white and wasn't so sharp looking. He had a billowing pale lilac mane and a jagged silver tail that ended in a barb, like a lightning bolt. The rest of his fur was as intense a yellow as Zapdos, but Raikou had several black stripes that resembled the letter V.  
  
"It is hard to believe a human would be able to bring us all down," commented Articuno.  
  
"You didn't stand a chance, frost bite," snapped Zapdos.  
  
"Like you did, static cling," retorted Articuno.  
  
"Why do the three of you always fight?" asked Tasha, surprised that she found her voice, ".... I mean, you caused a lot of trouble last time." The birds looked at her with a kind of shock. They really had no answer to her question.  
  
The eerie silence was shattered by a sharp bolt of thunder, then by a scene by the bank of one of the pools. Suicune stood at the edge of one, still enjoying the spring. But as if she got bored with that she suddenly broke into a run, sending water spraying everywhere as she raced on top of the surface of the water. Her violet main and aqua blue crystalline charm seemed to glitter as she ran. Her white, ribbon-like tails whipped wildly around her. Her blue fur with white diamond spots made her appear to be one with the water. She landed gracefully on the opposite bank and walked over to the mix-matched group as if nothing had happened. Tasha could see that she was barely shorter than Entei, but she was still taller than Raikou, who was about as tall as Tasha was. The others gaped at her performance, even Mewtwo, who was in the corner of the cavern, reminiscing about the time he lived here.  
  
"What is going on here?" asked Suicune.  
  
"Suicune.... that would complete the set," muttered Moltres, who was trying to make a joke about the bad situation they had wound up in.  
  
"I was minding my business the whole time," grumbled Raikou. He sat down as he said that. Tasha saw this and did the same. It caused her back to hurt a little more, but she pushed it out of her mind.  
  
"Let's face it," said Zapdos, bluntly, "we were all caught...."  
  
"It wasn't a fair fight," Suicune pointed out.  
  
"I am just ready to get back to my nest," said Moltres.  
  
{You would be better off to finish the day here,} said Mewtwo, walking over. {It is unsafe to travel in this weather and none of you are at full strength.}  
  
"Who are you?" asked Entei, speaking for most of the group.  
  
{I am Mewtwo,} he replied.  
  
"I have never heard of your kind before," commented Articuno.  
  
{My kind? I am the only one. There are no others,} Mewtwo replied.  
  
"I guess that is what it meant when it said, 'never seen before in history and never will be seen again,'" muttered Tasha. She hadn't meant to be heard, but pokemon have better hearing than people.  
  
asked Mewtwo, eyeing her suspiciously.  
  
"Um.... the Ruins of Alph," she replied. She told the truth because she did not think it was right to lie, not ever.  
  
{What do you mean?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
"The ruins say stuff about you," replied Tasha. She was beginning to get nervous, although she had no idea why. She felt something behind her, pushing slightly on her tender back. She turned around and saw that Entei had sat down behind her. Red eyes met brown. "That's right," thought Tasha, "Entei likes kids."  
  
{What does it say?} asked Mewtwo. He liked his secrets to be kept, and this could definitely endanger them.  
  
"About you, or in general?" asked Tasha.  
  
{About me?} he gaped, {Impossible.}  
  
"It does say stuff, about all of you," replied Tasha. Fourteen eyes turned on her. "I shouldn't have said that," she thought.  
  
"You can't mean about us, specifically," protested Raikou.  
  
"Well..... yes....." stuttered Tasha.  
  
"How is that possible?" asked Suicune.  
  
"So everything about us is in plain view for anyone in that building," grumbled Zapdos.  
  
"Oh, no," explained Tasha, "The panels aren't that detailed, and I think I am the only one who can read them."  
  
{Explain everything,} suggested Mewtwo, simply.  
  
Tasha took a deep breath and did so. She tried not to leave anything out, even her knowledge of the pokemons' lives and her own capture. It took her a good chunk of time to get through everything. She got some very interesting looks from the legendaries from time to time, but she tried to ignore these.  
  
"And that's about it," she said as she finished. It was silent, save for the falling rain, for a few seconds afterwards.  
  
"I find all of that hard to believe," commented Moltres at length.  
  
{How is all of that possible?} wondered Mewtwo. She had said things about him that he had hoped would never see the light of day.  
  
"I don't know, I was wondering the same things myself," replied Tasha.  
  
"No one should have gone through what that man put," said Entei to Tasha. Tasha was surprised, that was the first sympathy she really had received.  
  
"I am sorry I ended up putting you though all of that too," she said to Raikou and Suicune as well as Entei, still feeling guilty.  
  
"It was not your fault," said Raikou.  
  
"We don't blame you for anything," added Suicune.  
  
"It doesn't make any sense," puzzled Zapdos, still trying to figure it all out.  
  
"Is it all true?" wondered Articuno, she seemed to look right at Mewtwo when she asked that.  
  
"I have no reason to doubt that," said Moltres.  
  
"But to actually have the words change?" wondered Entei.  
  
"That isn't quite what I meant," said Articuno, "You all know about us, the whole world does..... But no one has even heard of you." She looked straight at Mewtwo when she said that. "What are you hiding?"  
  
{If you knew what I was capable of you would not demand things like that,} he warned.  
  
"I do think Articuno has a point," said Suicune. "While we are grateful for you getting us out of that prison, you know about us but we know nothing about you." Mewtwo remained silent.  
  
"You said you are the only one, but don't you have family or something?" asked Tasha, think of her father.  
  
{I have no family,} he replied.  
  
"How is that possible?" asked Raikou.  
  
{I am not like you,} he replied, }I was never born into this world, but created. Using Mew's......}  
  
"Did someone say my name?" chimed a new voice.  
  
{Mew,} said Mewtwo, eyeing the floating pink kitten. {What are you doing here?} The newcomer was the palest of pinks, and by far the smallest legendary yet. Tasha guessed that she could hold Mew in her lap. Well, all except for her tail, that is, which was about twice as long as she was. She had big blue, almond shaped eyes, that were full of eagerness.  
  
"I came to see you. I looked everywhere. You hide well, did you know that? But I finally found you. I am not surprised you find a wild place like this to hide. But I never thought that you would have such a variety of company. And....." rattled Mew.  
  
"Slow down," said Raikou. "And what are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to visit a friend, but I didn't know he had company," said Mew giggling. She conjured up a pink bubble and began to bounce on it.  
  
"A friend of yours?" asked Suicune to Mewtwo. His eyes narrowed at this, but he said nothing.  
  
"How do you two know each other?" asked Articuno, "I didn't event think that Mew existed any more.  
  
"Most don't," the tiny cat replied, "I like it that way."  
  
{Mew appeared and stopped me from making one of the biggest mistakes of my life,} explained Mewtwo.  
  
"After you tried to blast me," joked Mew.  
  
"Why did you do that?" asked Raikou. "Mew is the strongest pokemon alive. Even I wouldn't try something like that."  
  
"You give me too much credit," said Mew with a blush. Tasha was still gaping at this point.  
  
{Was the strongest,} said Mewtwo, {I was created to be stronger.} It was dead silent for a minute after this comment.  
  
"What do you mean by created?" asked Tasha the same time Suicune asked "Do you mean you are really stronger than Mew?"  
  
"Well,....." said Mew, "It was kinda a tie when we fought last time."  
  
"You actually fought each other?!" exclaimed Articuno. Tasha glanced around the cavern. She noticed that Moltres, Entei, and Zapdos had drifted to sleep, more or less.  
  
{Yes, we did,} admitted Mewtwo, {I was cloned from Mew's DNA. When I was created I was designed to be the strongest ever, just to be some human's living weapon.}  
  
"Is that even possible?" asked Raikou.  
  
"That is awful! No wonder you did all of that!" exclaimed Tasha, "No one should have to live like that."  
  
"What happened?" asked Articuno.  
  
{It wasn't much different from what Tasha said,} he explained, {I was lied to and used, so I fled. I want so badly to hurt someone that I did not care about anything. But between Mew and another human child my eyes were opened. I left to find peace and came here. But I was not left in peace. Those who wanted to control me hunted me down...... It almost cost me my life resisting them, but that same child put away all differences and saved my life. I now know that how I came into this world is unimportant, but that doesn't mean that I still do not face discrimination.}  
  
"And I thought I had it hard...." muttered Raikou.  
  
"I can see why you tried so hard to protect your secrets. Perhaps if our kinds ad been more secretive in the past, we would have had the trouble we had had recently," commented Suicune.  
  
"But what happened this week cannot repeat itself," said Articuno, which they all agreed on. "But what can we do?"  
  
"What happened this past week?" asked Mew.  
  
{I will see what I can do,} said Mewtwo, {For now you should rest to recover your strength. I will help send you on your ways tomorrow. But,} He looked at Tasha, {I plan on returning with you to these ruins and seeing for myself what dangers there may be for us in the future.} Tasha was surprised, but said nothing.  
  
"What happened?" asked Mew again.  
  
{Come, I will explain it,} said Mewtwo as he walked away.  
  
"His idea about sleeping sounds good," muttered Articuno as she stuck her head beneath her wing. Raikou and Suicune also lowered their heads and closed their eyes. Tasha leaned up against Entei and also fell asleep.  
  
************************************************************************** 


	13. Return Home

The collector woke up and picked himself off of the floor. His entire body hurt from being thrown into the wall, and he was stiff from spending the night there. He looked around for his tazer. He found his weapon, which was mangled beyond use.  
  
"D--- it!" he cried, then he noticed the platform that Tasha had been on was empty.  
  
"What happened?!" he demanded, checking out the damage. The manacles had been opened. He quickly checked his keys, which had been undisturbed.  
  
"What happened?!" he demanded again. He left that room and entered the hallway. The first thing that he noticed was the mangled security cameras.  
  
"Who did this?!" he demanded and he raced to the viewing rooms to make sure his treasures were safe.  
  
He first passed the rooms that contained the non-legendary pokemon. He raced passed the first few before he stopped dead. He looked trough the one way glass. Every cage was empty!  
  
"What the h--- happened here!?" he yelled. He turned and sprinted to the room with the legendaries. But to his utmost dismay they were empty too. He used a few unrepeatable words at this point, before running to his library.  
  
"Computer, read-outs of security breeches in the past day!" he demanded. He looked at the printed paper, "The most high-tech system in the world and you can't even tell me when or who the intruder is! And, you let my prizes and key get away! My key.... she still is that." He smiled evilly, "She will head back to the ruins. I will catch her and recapture my prizes. This isn't over yet!" He began to prepare for a return trip to the Ruins of Alph.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Tasha woke up the next morning feeling at peace. She had slept well that night and was now eager to get back to her father. She stood up, her back feeling 100% better. Entei had just woken up beside her and walked over to one of the water pools. Tasha looked around and saw Suicune, who was playing in the water, and Raikou, who was lounging under a tree. She guessed that the others were outside, probably flying.  
  
"It worked out," she thought, "They are all free now. And I am going home! Daddy! Oddish! I can't wait! Who knew something this crazy could ever happen?" She walked over to a small tree and noticed several small, bright red apples. She picked a few and had herself breakfast.  
  
Just then Mewtwo, Mew, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres flew in. They landed lightly.  
  
{It is time for you to return to your homes,} announced Mewtwo. {We are willing to help with that.} He looked at Mew when he said the last line.  
  
"We're ready," said Entei, wandering over. "I am ready for this crazy week to end.  
  
"I agree to that," added Raikou. Tasha watched from nearby with wonder at this large gathering of legendaries.  
  
"So who wants to go first?" asked Mew, giggling. She looked around at the other legendaries, who were all at least 4 times her own size.  
  
"We are ready," Articuno spoke out. Zapdos and Moltres gave their agreement.  
  
{Are you sure you wish to return to your homes on the islands? Humans know you live there and will continue to pursue you to try to capture you,} Mewtwo pointed out.  
  
"Those island have been our families' homes for generations!" cried Articuno.  
  
"We would never think of leaving them!" added Zapdos.  
  
{You know the dangers and you have been warned,} stated Mewtwo.  
  
"Be careful," added Mew. Both psychics began to glow, Mew was pink and Mewtwo was blue. There was a flash of light and the trio of birds were gone.  
  
"Wow," whispered Tasha.  
  
{Are you three ready to return to your homes?} Mewtwo asked Entei, Raikou, and Suicune.  
  
"We don't exactly have homes," muttered Raikou.  
  
"We go where ever we please," said Entei.  
  
"So you just roam around?" asked Mew, "Sounds like fun!" This exclamation was followed by more giggling.  
  
{Is there any place that we can take you to?} asked Mewtwo, {I do not think that you would want to remain here.}  
  
"Actually," Suicune spoke up, "I would like to stay here. For a while, anyways. I like the water here."  
  
{If that is your choice,} said Mewtwo, his eyes seemed to be smiling.  
  
"I would like to head back to the jungle," said Raikou. "I liked it there."  
  
"Anywhere far from people is fine by me," said Entei, "No offense to the child."  
  
"Huh? None taken," said Tasha.  
  
"I think I know somewhere you would like," Mew chimed, "I'll take you there. It is really cool; with mountains and snow and rocks and trees and...."  
  
{Then I will send Raikou on his way. Good luck to all of you,} finished Mewtwo. The two psychics used their powers and when the light had died down Tasha was alone with Mewtwo.  
  
{Are you ready to return to the ruins?} he asked her.  
  
"Yes!" she said eagerly, thinking of Oddish and her father.  
  
{Then I will take you there. But before anything else, I want to see these panels you have described,} Mewtwo said.  
  
"Um, OK," Tasha agreed.  
  
{I have to ask one thing first,} the pokemon said.  
  
"What?" asked Tasha.  
  
{I need to look inside of your mind to know exactly where to go,} he explained, bluntly.  
  
"Um...... Will it hurt?" she asked, getting a hair nervous.  
  
{No,} he said, looking into her eyes.  
  
"OK, If it will help me get home," Tasha agreed. Mewtwo seemed surprised at her compliance. He nodded and his eyes glowed blue. Tasha wasn't sure what to expect, but she felt nothing.  
  
{Prepare yourself, I will take use there, now,} Mewtwo said. Tasha nodded and closed her eyes.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
The collector had re-loaded his helicopter and was flying to the Ruins of Alph. He had stocked up on all sorts of weapons, and was prepared to take any steps necessary to reach his goal.  
  
"It will be night there soon," he thought, "Perfect! No one will stop me. I will have every pokemon. They will not escape. I have prepared for everything!"  
  
************************************************************************** 


	14. Battle in Alph

Tasha's father continued to toss and turn in his sleep. The police had had no leads to his daughter's disappearance; no surprise. No clues had been found. No sign of her had been found.  
  
"Tasha, Tasha," he began to cry out in his sleep. This woke Oddish, who would have woken up anyways, because she was a nocturnal creature. Tasha's disappearance had been hard on Oddish, too. The pokemon was worried sick, and loaded with guilt for not being able to help more.  
  
Oddish walked out of the tent with the one empty air mattress. The sun was just beginning to set as she left. The sky was clear, and the camp was quiet. There was a slight breeze. Oddish needed to walk, so she head off, not really knowing where she was going.  
  
She eventually found herself at the entrance to the interior of the ruins. Oddish went inside, having a sudden desire to see the place where Tasha was taken. The dark passages were quiet, the archaeologists had called it a day hours ago.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Tasha opened her eyes and looked around. The stone room she was in was dark, save from the light Mewtwo was producing. She quickly looked around, recognizing the carvings on the wall.  
  
"We made it!" she exclaimed at a whisper.  
  
{This is the place?} wondered Mewtwo, looking around. His eyes were drawn to the carvings as well. But his reaction was one of great surprise. He didn't realize there would actually be pictures!  
  
"How did it get dark so fast?" wondered Tasha, snapping Mewtwo from his thoughts.  
  
{We are a couple of time zones away,} he explained, {The sun has just set here.}  
  
"I wonder where my dad is? He must be worried sick!" exclaimed Tasha as she walked towards the door.  
  
{I do not want to keep you from you family for any longer, but I do need your help with these carvings. It could mean the difference of our safety and freedom,} he explained.  
  
Tasha looked at him. She knew he was worried. While she really wanted to see her dad, she wanted to make up for spilling the beans before, so she stayed.  
  
"OK," she agreed, "What do you want to know?" Mewtwo examined the walls for another minute before speaking. He lingered on the image that was supposed to represent himself, still surprised.  
  
{What exactly does this all say? You said you can read this, right? It makes no sense to me,} he asked.  
  
"It basically says things about the pokemons' life, what has gone on recently, and where they are currently at," answered Tasha.  
  
{Can you tell me, exactly?} he asked.  
  
"Um, sure," agreed Tasha. "Which one?"  
  
{Wait!} he exclaimed, {Someone is coming.}  
  
"Who?" asked Tasha.  
  
{A pokemon,} Mewtwo answered. They both froze, silent.  
  
"Oddish!" exclaimed Tasha as her best friend walked dejectedly around the corner.  
  
"What? Tasha?!" exclaimed Oddish as they were locked in a tearful reunion.  
  
{Is she a friend of yours?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
"My best friend," confirmed Tasha.  
  
"Who's he?" asked Oddish.  
  
"This is Mewtwo," said Tasha, "And he freed me from the bad man who took me away."  
  
"I am just so glad you are safe! I was worried, everyone was!" Oddish said.  
  
"Calm down, I'm safe," said Tasha.  
  
"Thanks for bring her back," Oddish said to Mewtwo.  
  
{You are welcome,} he replied, still half studying the wall.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Which one did you want me to read?" asked Tasha, setting Oddish down.  
  
{Read what it says about me,} he said. Tasha walked over to the wall and began to do so.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"I have to be careful," thought the collector as he snuck in through the back entrance. "They will have beefed up their security. And I have too much at steak to be caught. It won't belong before I regain what I have lost."  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
".....Goldenrod City, where he was staying until...." Tasha paused in her reading. "This isn't want it said last time."  
  
{What do you mean?} Mewtwo asked, eyeing the wall with suspicion. He had gotten a weird feeling about this structure since he had arrived, and this was making him very suspicious and nervous. He glanced around, from time to time, trying to place the strange forces he was sensing. "There is a strange presence here," he thought, knowing that......something was going to happen.  
  
"These words have changed," said Tasha, "They did that before. I don't know how it is possible, but the words change." Oddish leaned against her leg, trying to comfort her.  
  
{How can words written centuries ago be re-wrote?} Mewtwo asked.  
  
"I wish I knew," she said.  
  
{Continue,} he encouraged.  
  
"..... Until he was need to help the others the collector's greed had harmed. He freed the three that fly and the three that run. And now with the help of the Bridge, is seeking to unravel the mysteries of the Ruins of Alph," finished Tasha.  
  
"Bridge? Is that you, Tasha?" asked Oddish.  
  
{I do not like it,} Mewtwo stated with a frown.  
  
"I think it is kind of cool," added a new voice, which caused the three to turn around.  
  
{Mew, why are you here?} asked Mewtwo when he saw the hovering pink kitten behind them.  
  
"Oh, come on! I spend weeks looking for you and you expect me to go away! Besides, this will be much more interesting," giggled Mew. "So this pile of bricks really say things about us?"  
  
Tasha nodded.  
  
"Cool! And they even have a picture of me!" exclaimed Mew as she noticed the carving of herself, "I don't look like that. Do I?"  
  
{That is not our concern,} said Mewtwo, {The writings are what concern me the most.}  
  
"But I am the only one who can read them," reminded Tasha, "Well, maybe Molly Hale can too, but I don't know."  
  
BOOM! A fiery projectile was launched through the middle of the group. Tasha and Oddish dove to the ground, and except for skinned knees, were OK. Mewtwo was out of the its path. Mew was hit with full force and nearly knocked out of the air, but recovered. All eyes turned to the door. The collector was there, armed to the teeth.  
  
"Well, three for the price of one," he said, "It makes my job so much easier."  
  
The collector was holding what looked like his original bazooka like weapon, except this one was large and obviously designed to hold more ammunition. Two small guns hung by his side, as well as a new tazer. Two other weapons were strapped to him, one on the back and one across his chest. Clipped to his belt was a strange, small black box.  
  
Mewtwo's eyes began to glow intense blue as he summoned his psychic powers. He raised his right paw and prepared to pick up the man and throw him into the wall, like he did before. But strangely, his powers had no effect on the collector this time. Mewtwo's eyes widened with surprise.  
  
"I am better prepared this time," the man gloated. He tapped the black box. "This makes a shield of sheer dark energy. You can't hurt me."  
  
{Do not make that assumption yet,} Mewtwo shot back, surprising the collector with his telekinesis.  
  
"Who is he? What does he want? What is he doing here?" asked Mew.  
  
{He is after us, and the girl. He is the one who was holding the others before,} Mewtwo replied, privately. Tasha was clutching Oddish to her chest, and trying to hide in the shadows in the back of the chamber.  
  
"Don't hide, my key," said the collector when he saw this. "I came back for you."  
  
"Drop dead scum!" she yelled.  
  
{It is time to end this,} said Mewtwo and he prepared for another attack. This time, he used Flame Wheel, much to everyone's surprise. The collector barely had time to dodge and missed being incinerated.  
  
"So you want to play the hard way," he snarled back. "That is the way I like it. But be warned, I will own every pokemon, even you."  
  
{How naive,} Mewtwo replied, striking with an Aurora Beam. The collector fired his bazooka, and a fiery pulse filled the room. The attacks collided, shaking the arena. There was a misty explosion, then brief darkness before Mewtwo was able to refocus on light.  
  
During this time Mew darted behind the collector. The second Mewtwo began to reproduce the light she struck. Following her friend's example she launched a Thunder Wave, hoping to end this without anyone getting hurt.  
  
"AH!" cried the collector as he felt the sting of the electricity. He turned around and fired. BOOM! Mew shrieked as she was hit at point-blank range.  
  
The minute he heard his friend's cry, Mewtwo retaliated with Shadow Ball. The collector could do nothing to stop this, and was consequently knocked off of his feet. He stood up again, despite the bruise he would have on his side. His shield proved to minimized the damaged he was receiving.  
  
Knowing that he was out-numbered, out-powered, and out-skilled, the collector knew he needed to do something drastic if he hoped to win. He flick his weapon up to full power. Then, unnoticed he dropped a small metal disk out of his pocket, onto the floor. Facing his two opponents, who had now joined together in the center of the room, he fired in quick succession. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The ruins echoed with the sounds of the battle, shaking ancient dust from forgotten corners.  
  
Mew quickly Teleported herself to safety. Mewtwo stood, relying on his Barrier. Tasha curled into a tight ball, desperately hoping to remain safe. Mewtwo, now very annoyed, focused his powers on another elemental attack. He summoned a strong Hydro Pump, neutralizing the collector's attack and thoroughly drenching him. Mew joined in with a Thunderbolt, using the previous attack t her advantage.  
  
"AARRRGGG!!!" the collector roared in pain. An angry, desperate gleam flashed across his eyes. He quickly threw his primary weapon across his back and drew the other two guns. In one swift motion he fired them simultaneously, one at Mew, the other at Mewtwo. ZAP! FWOOSH! Mewtwo was unaffected by the electric attack that was sent his way, due to his Barrier. Mew was hit, though not directly, by an icy attack. She quickly shook it off, though.  
  
{Enough games,} Mewtwo said to Mew. {We need to end this before more humans arrive.}  
  
"I agree," she replied.  
  
"Give up," the collector raged in the low of battle, "You cannot beat me!"  
  
{You are insane. You cannot hope to win,} Mewtwo replied. The collector snarled and fired again, with less results than the last time.  
  
"There is always another was," he muttered to himself, reaching for yet another weapon. He had it activated an instant later, while dodging a Razor Wind from Mew. He filled the entire room with an ultra-sonic blast. Mew, Mewtwo, and even Tasha and Oddish cried out as the noise threatened their very sense of hearing.  
  
In the instant of distraction the collector launched a volley of elemental attacks. Most missed, but Mewtwo and Mew felt a few strike them. Enraged, Mewtwo fired a dangerous Hyper Beam. It glowed beautifully and deadly. The collector twisted when he saw it coming from him, and his ultra-sonic projector took the hit. It was immediately turned into ash. This left black streaks down his pant leg. Now, everyone was mad.  
  
The air grew bright, hot, and intense from the next attacks launched. When the gagging smoke cleared, everyone was breathing hard, but the fighters refused to show signs of their pain.  
  
"Please, let this stop," prayed Tasha, "Please, stop. I don't want anyone to get hurt."  
  
The collector turned his attention on Mew and fired his weapons. She Teleported to safety again, as Mewtwo charged himself up for another powerful attack.  
  
"If this is to end," he thought, "then his shield has to be broken. I need to over-power it." Seeing that he was focused on Mew, Mewtwo decided to try for another strategy.  
  
But the collector quickly pivoted. He fired again, at Mewtwo. The psychic pokemon was caught off guard and felt the electricity race through his body, followed by a cold shock. He gasped in pain, his concentration broken. Mew re-appeared from her Teleport, only to be caught in the collector's next attack. She cried out, dropping low in the air. He prepared to fire again at the two pokemon, but his weapons failed to respond, out of ammo.  
  
He didn't even bother with them, letting them drop to the hard stone floor with a dull metallic clank. He pulled his primary weapon off his shoulder, ready for reuse. He aimed and fired. But this had taken too much time. Mewtwo had recovered, and used Mirror Coat, sending the fiery ball right back at the collector.  
  
"No one get hurt, please," thought Tasha as she whimpered in the corner, doing her best to stay as for out of range as she could.  
  
The collector stumbled backwards. He fell down, losing his grip on his weapon, which landed in his lap. Not letting this advantage be wasted, Mewtwo stepped forward and prepared to knock him out. But as he stepped forward, on of his feet landed on the small metallic disk that the collector had dropped earlier. The device self-destructed, sending an agonizing fire and electric through the pokemon.  
  
{AAHH!} Mewtwo gasped, as his left leg gave out, bringing him to his one knee. The collector pulled himself up, ready to push his advantage. Mew instantly appeared by her injured friend's side, concerned. Tasha closed her eyes, willing it all to go away. The charm on her necklace began to pulse with its strange dark aura.  
  
The collector reached onto his belt and pulled off a small CD like mechanical object. He threw this through the air like a Frisbee. It glowed, then split into a barrage of dark electrical beams. The enveloped Mew, causing her excruciating pain as she was exposed to a psychic's greatest weakness. She dropped to the ground from the shock.  
  
Mewtwo struggled up, despite the pain caused be putting weight on his injured foot. Mew, too, was struggling to elevate herself again. The collector dodged the next attack thrown at him, while retaliating with his own.  
  
His Shadow Ball knocked the weapon off of the collector's chest, shattering it on the floor. But the broken weapon was also programmed with a self- destruct sequence. In blew up only a few feet away from the psychic clone. Mewtwo could feel the heat before he was able to set up his Barrier. He could feel blisters raise on his skin.  
  
"No more, no more," thought Tasha, practical crying into her grass type. Her necklace began to glow brighter, covering her chest with a dark light.  
  
None of the fighters were holding back. The collector held his finger on his weapon, charging it for its strongest attack. Mewtwo was summoning his strength, as was Mew. They attacked at the same time, filling the air with eerie lights and energies. Their attacks collided, knocking everyone back.  
  
When this mass of energy faded, only a soft blue and pink glow remained. All of the fighters were breathing hard, and eyeing the other side evilly. But then, the room began to glow strangely. Tasha had stood up, her eyes were glowing the same color as her charm, which was glowing stronger than ever before. Oddish was giving her fearful looks. The pokemon saw this and both put up a Barrier. The collector retreated a few steps.  
  
Then, the walls began to glow. First the corner where Tasha was, then it spread throughout the whole room. But on closer inspection, one could see that it wasn't the entire wall that was glowing, but rather the strange script that covered the wall. The writings began to glow stronger and stronger. This created a surreal pattern on the walls. Veins of dark energy could be seen flowing through them.  
  
Suddenly, the glowing became twice as intense. The letters began to take shape, becoming 3D. Slowly they pulled away from the wall and a strange humming sound was heard. No one moved, or dared breath for that matter. Slowly the light faded, revealing the greatest secret of the Ruins of Alph. 


	15. The Secret of Alph

"This isn't good, is it," muttered Mew.  
  
{The child is possessed!} exclaimed Mewtwo. And this was making him very nervous, because whatever was controlling Tasha was incredibly powerful.  
  
It took a second for the dumb-founded spectators' eyes to readjust to the dim lighting. But when they could see what had happened they were left speechless. There was no longer any writings on the wall. Instead, the air was filled with strange, symbol-like creatures. Each one was no more than a foot tall. They were pure black, with the same circular core, only their appendages varied. These creatures were humming a strange, haunting tune. They began to form a sphere and rotate in it, like a psycho-band teacher's idea of a drill. There was lines, but they shifted and turned direction with seemingly no pattern.  
  
{Unown!} Mewtwo exclaimed.  
  
"Whoever said I was weird never saw them," giggled Mew.  
  
"The Unown! They are perfect! And excellent addition to my collection!" thought the collector as he quickly tried to format a plan to catch one. But it was not to be.  
  
"Who is it that dares to battle in these halls? Who is it that dares threaten the peace that has been established? Who is it that dare harms Mother Nature's chosen mediators?" demanded Tasha in a voice that was not her own. She instantly caught the attention of the shocked on-lookers. Mewtwo and Mew both noticed something odd. The necklace that she always wore was hovering and glowing six inches off of her chest. But the symbol that had always been on it was gone. Instead, an Unown whose shaped perfectly matched the symbol on her necklace, was hovering directly in front of her. This Unown did not move with the others, but stayed in front of the girl, twirling occasionally.  
  
No one answered the demand/accusation, because they were all too astonished to reply.  
  
Mewtwo finally asked.  
  
"We are the guardians of the legends and recorders of history. We are the gatherers of knowledge. We are unknown. We are the Unown," replied Tasha who was not Tasha.  
  
"What is this all about?" asked Mew. Unnoticed the collector was slipping closer and closer to the girl.  
  
"This world was designed for harmony. But many, through their own greed, have tried to destroy the peace. So mediators were chosen. But once more greed has threatened to do harm. We will not let the mistakes of the past repeat themselves," Tasha's mouth answered.  
  
{What are you going to do?} Mewtwo asked, cautiously.  
  
"They are mine!" cried the collector as he dove for his next attack.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Come on sir, there is something happening in the ruins," urged the female archaeologist as she, Prof. Hale, and Tasha's father raced towards the Ruins of Alph. Strange noises had been heard earlier, as well as several earth-shaking concussions. Those has woken the entire camp. But many had been too afraid to actually enter the ruins. But then there was a brief pause of silence. Desperately concerned for his daughter, Tasha's father was about to race in when his to comrades convinced him to take a more cautious approach.  
  
They were now ready to begin a survey into the strange ruins. But as they entered a strange black glow covered the walls, then raced further into the ruins. Showing surprising courage under the circumstance the three pressed on.  
  
"Tasha, please," her father panted.  
  
"Call down," urged Prof. Hale. "You aren't going to help anyone by having an anxiety attack." But as he finished there was another tremor.  
  
"Come on!" yelled Tasha's dad as he started to run.  
  
"Good thing I was a runner in high school," muttered the woman as she caught up to him. The three raced into the ruins, following the direction that the strange glow had fled.  
  
SMACK! Tasha's father, who was the lead, stopped dead in his tracks, clutching his nose.  
  
"What happened?" asked Prof. Hale.  
  
"I feel like I hit a wall," he replied, gingerly rubbing his injury. The woman tentatively stuck her hand forward, into a seemingly empty hallway. She then stopped and put her hand flat in front of her and began to push into the air.  
  
"There is a wall," she said. "It wasn't here before, I've been down her a million times before. But there is some kind of Barrier here."  
  
"The Unown are psychic," muttered Prof. Hale. "Something is happening that they are determined not to let get interrupted."  
  
"TASHA!" cried her father as he began to beat on the wall with his fist.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"This is my chance!" thought the collector as he prepared to pounce. He lifted a new weapon. This one was loaded with the same sticky string that he had used to capture Zapdos. He hefted it onto his shoulders and aimed into the misted of the Unown. POOF! He fired.  
  
Mewtwo and Mew jumped in surprise, but Tasha's head barely moved a millimeter. But much to the collector's dismay, the white mass that he had fired was stopped in midair by the Unown. It stayed in the air for a second, but then it started coming straight back for him, twice as fast as it traveled before. The collector didn't have time to react, just gape as he was pinned to the wall by his own attack. The pokemon watched this, but made no move to interfere. Slowly Tasha turned and faced him.  
  
"You vile traitor!" Tasha cried out, "Shall you sacrifice all safety and peace of this planet for your own personal greed?!"  
  
"What are you talking about?!" the collector demanded, "I only claim what is mine!" Mew and Mewtwo gave him a look of sheer disgust.  
  
"You cannot claim life!" yelled Tasha, her voice reaching ear-shattering volumes. The Unown's song change to match the angry mode. "Foolish human, you shall be dealt with accordingly."  
  
"You don't scare me!" the collector yelled his defiance as he struggled futilely to free himself from his own trap.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Mew asked to Unown. But they did not reply. They just followed there strange rotation in the sphere they had created, and continued to hum their haunting melody.  
  
"You will pay the price for your deeds, for the pain you caused, for the damage you have done!" declared Tasha, her voice taking on a duel-tone quality. The collector scowled evilly and continued to struggle. The air began to glow intensely as the Unown summoned their strength. The shadows were illuminated with greens and violets and blues and reds and yellows and colors that hadn't even been named. Each color representing a different Unown.  
  
{They are combining their Hidden Powers!} exclaimed Mewtwo as he realized what the pokemon were doing.  
  
"What?" asked Mew.  
  
{They are focusing their Hidden Power on the girl,} explained Mewtwo.  
  
"What are they doing?" asked Mew.  
  
{I have no idea,} replied Mewtwo as he watched closely the events that were happening between the Unown, the collector, and Tasha.  
  
The various lights began to form into solid spheres, which were sent orbiting around Tasha. Then these were focused into one sphere, which shone with more colors than were in the rainbow. It was so intense that no one could look at it. The sphere was then launched at the collector, who futilely tried to duck. The whole chamber was filled with a blinding light, then there was a violent concussion.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Prof. Hale, and the other two archaeologists were picking themselves up from the tremor which had knocked them off of their feet.  
  
"What was that?" asked Tasha's father, fearful of his daughter's life.  
  
"I have no idea," replied the female archaeologist.  
  
"This is worst than last time," muttered Prof. Hale.  
  
"Tasha...." her dad trailed off.  
  
"Hey! The Barrier is gone!" exclaimed Prof. Hale as he tried to walk forward.  
  
"Tasha! I'm coming!" exclaimed her father as he took off running.  
  
"Hey wait!" exclaimed the other two as they tried to catch up.  
  
SMACK! The elder archaeologist hit another Barrier and slid to the floor, dazed.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
A final surge of power ripped up the walls of the Ruins of Alph. Mewtwo and Mew could sense hundreds of Unown's presenses appear and flee the ruins.  
  
{What happened?} wondered Mewtwo.  
  
"I wish I knew," replied Mew.  
  
"He has been banished," said Tasha, "Long ago, during the great conflict that drove peace from the land, we agreed to a price to not allow history to repeat itself."  
  
"What the heck are you talking about?!" demanded Mew.  
  
"There was a time of peace when the legendaries existed with humans. But a single human's greed drove them away and the land died," Tasha exclaimed, "To ensure that that never happened we were willing to go into exile, to preserve history and watch the legendaries. We knew that there would be a time when humans and pokemon could live together in peace again, and that time is soon. And we will not have that threatened by a single person's greed!"  
  
{Exile?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
"A time of peace?" wondered Mew.  
  
"We were sent to a negative universe and trapped there," the Unown explained, using Tasha's voice, "We were only allowed to watch and record the events that happened."  
  
{You are the one responsible for the stories about us,} said Mewtwo.  
  
"Correct, we watched our mediators," said Tasha, "but we could not help. But then, not long ago, a man deactivated part of the spell. A few us were able to escape. But unfortunately we created a little too much mischief in our enjoyment of freedom."  
  
"That was the incident with Entei, wasn't it?" asked Mew.  
  
"Yes. The human took or place in the negative realm," the Unown continued, "But we could not allow that and returned. But now the prophecy is being fulfilled. One of the Chosen Ones has been found and we have returned."  
  
{Prophecy? What do you mean? And how is it that you are able to return?} asked Mewtwo, getting suspicious.  
  
"The evil man is taking our place in the negative realm," replied Tasha, "Now our kind is free again. And soon, the legends will be fulfilled."  
  
"You trapped him in that awful place?!" exclaimed Mew, slightly horrified.  
  
{How appropriate,} muttered Mewtwo, dryly.  
  
"There is much to be done. We must depart," Tasha said. With that the Unown stopped their strange rotation and grouped together. They then blew passed the two psychics and fled the ruins, heading into the just now rising sun.  
  
The Unown (X) that was in front of Tasha was the last to leave. It turned and began to leave with the others, but quickly spun back around and became part of her necklace again.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"The Barrier is gone!" exclaimed the female archaeologist. "Let's go!"  
  
The three began to run, Tasha's father quickly taking the lead.  
  
"What happened?" panted Prof. Hale. "It felt like something left."  
  
"Save your breath," she retorted. They somehow knew where to go without being told. They were all heading for the chamber with the legendary images.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
With the last of the Unown gone, Tasha's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed, unconscious. Mewtwo quickly caught her with his powers and lowered her gently to the ground.  
  
"Now what?" asked Mew.  
  
{We leave,} he said, simply.  
  
"But what if she tells someone?" asked Mew.  
  
{Not after all she has been through,} replied Mewtwo, {She will not tell.} They both jerked in surprise as they heard the sounds of footsteps rapidly approaching.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Tasha!" exclaimed her father as he entered the dim room. She was laying on the ground, unconscious, with Oddish standing over her, looking concerned.  
  
"My little girl," he said as he scooped her up in a big embrace. This succeeded in waking her up.  
  
"What?" she muttered groggily, "Daddy? Daddy!" She jumped and wrapped her arms around her father's neck.  
  
"I had thought that I had lost you," he whispered in her ear. Tears were pouring down both of their faces.  
  
"Oh, my," muttered Prof. Hale.  
  
"Isn't that sweet," cooed the other archaeologist. They began to escort the happy family outside.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
{She is safe now,} said Mewtwo as they watched her being carried out of the ruins from their hidden perch on the roof.  
  
"Isn't that sweet?" giggled Mew at the reunion that was growing bigger and bigger below. Mewtwo didn't reply. "Is something bothering you?"  
  
{The Unown mentioned a prophecy being fulfilled. Something else is going to happen,} he replied.  
  
"You worry to much," snickered Mew as she flew off. Mewtwo did likewise.  
  
The excited camp was oblivious to their departure. They were to busy celebrating at Tasha's safe return. She never told them the truth about what had happened. Something instinctively stopped her. But she had a feeling that there would be a time when she would be needed again.  
  
The End  
  
AN/ Read the sequel, The Legend of Ho-Oh. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


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